Vivendi Won’t Be Making A Move To Acquire Ubisoft, For Now

There has been talk for some time about Vivendi attempting to acquire game publisher Ubisoft by [...]

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There has been talk for some time about Vivendi attempting to acquire game publisher Ubisoft by purchasing its shares – something it hasn't exactly been excited about. But it sounds like the company may be backing off on its advances to purchase the company – at least, for the time being.

In a press release, Vivendi made it clear that it doesn't intend to purchase Ubisoft "over the next six months". According to its press release, it noted the following:

  • It does not intend to file a public tender offer for Ubisoft shares nor to acquire control of the company. To this end, Vivendi will ensure that its interest in Ubisoft will not exceed the threshold of 30% through the doubling of its voting rights; and
  • in view of the opposition expressed by Ubisoft's executive management, Vivendi will not seek representation on its board of directors.

That said, what could happen after the six month period is anyone's guess. Vivendi doesn't currently have a plan to sell off any of the Ubisoft shares it's managed to acquire, and it's making a good deal of money with Ubisoft's holiday releases, like South Park: The Fractured But Whole and Assassin's Creed Origins. So the thought of acquiring them could still be there in 2018.

Vivendi did note it will continue to "develop in this sector" with possible purchases later on, and said that Ubisoft investment could very well be worth over one billion pounds – hence making the deal quite lucrative to them.

Ubisoft, again, is not fond of this. The company recently made a statement following this press release, noting, "Ubisoft takes note of Vivendi's statement. We will remain vigilant about their long-term intentions and will continue to pursue our strategy of growth and value creation in the interest of all our shareholders." The company has already made a few moves in the staffing department to assure that such a takeover doesn't come easy.

We're not sure how this thing will turn out, but it will likely get messy of Vivendi bumps up its intentions of acquiring Ubisoft in a hostile takeover. Fingers crossed that isn't the case.

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