Ubisoft Rumor Claims the Company Is Looking to Sell Franchises to EA and Microsoft

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of consolidation in the video game industry. A number of major publishers and developers have changed hands, and even some of their properties have, as well. Ubisoft has been at the center of a number of rumors in that regard, and a new one has come from a surprising source. Apparently, a minority shareholder is planning a protest outside of Ubisoft’s headquarters, as he alleges the company has been “misleading investors” and hasn’t been transparent about discussions to sell properties to other publishers. As reported by IGN, the protest is being planned by AJ Investments CEO Juraj Krupa.

While Krupa has not offered any indication about what franchises the company is looking to sell, the minority investor claimed that there have been “discussions between Microsoft, EA, and others that are interested in acquiring IPs from Ubisoft.” If true, that should raise some eyebrows among the publisher’s fans and supporters, and it’s easy to see why this would be cause for concern among shareholders. In a statement to IGN, Ubisoft addressed the allegations.

“As we mentioned during our Q3 sales, the review of various transformational strategic and capitalistic options is ongoing. The Board has established an ad-hoc independent Committee to oversee this formal and competitive process, so as to extract the best value from Ubisoft’s assets and franchises for all stakeholders. Ubisoft will inform the market in accordance with applicable regulations if and once a transaction materialises.”

Unsurprisingly, this has already kicked off some speculation about which franchises the publisher is willing to part with. Chances are, Ubisoft isn’t looking to get rid of its biggest money makers, such as Assassin’s Creed. But if Microsoft and EA are looking to obtain some properties, there’s a question about which ones might make the most sense. Ubisoft has an impressive catalog, which includes Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia, Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil, Just Dance, and more. We just don’t know if it makes sense for Ubisoft to sell any of these franchises off, and if there would be a buyer willing to spend the money to obtain them.

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Clearly, Ubisoft is looking to make some changes following a number of commercial failures. How those changes will manifest remains to be seen, and it’s impossible to say how much stock to put into Krupa’s allegations; readers should take all of this with a grain of salt. However, it’s not unfathomable that we could see some properties switch hands as a result of Ubisoft’s current financial woes. There’s no real way of knowing what properties will be sold though, and which companies might acquire them. For now, we’ll just have to see how things play out.

Do you think Ubisoft will sell off some of its franchises? Are there any you’d like to see obtained by Microsoft or EA? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!