Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: ubisoft, vivendi, Vivendi Takeover, Yves Guillemot

The Guillemot Family Are Attempting To Avoid A Vivendi Takeover Of Ubisoft

The battle for control of Ubisoft has been a long one and we've likely not seen the end of of it. Things died down a bit after the news came in April that Vivendi was planning to make its big play to acquire the company this year. Today, Reuters reports the Guillemot family (who founded Ubisoft, currently headed by Yves Guillemot), has increased their stake in the company in order to fend off a Vivendi takeover.

The Guillemot's stake in Ubisoft's share capital is currently at 13.6 percent, while its share of the company's voting rights is at 20.02 percent, according to a filing from the AMF stock market regulator.

By comparison, Vivendi, which purchased its first stake in Ubisoft in 2015, currently owns 27 percent of the company's share capital and 24.5 percent of its voting rights.

It's understandable why Vivendi would want to take ownership of Ubisoft. According to its year-end financial earnings call, Ubisoft is doing fairly well, with a digital revenue of €729.3 million, and several franchises due for sequels this year, including the lucrative Assassin's Creed franchise.  The Mario + Rabbids crossover is also a big ticket item in Ubisoft's current slate.

As things currently stand, Vivendi has a slight lead in the stakes against the Guillemot family, but I doubt either party is going to be giving up soon.

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