Yesterday the company Vivendi made a surprise acquisition for 6.6 percent of Ubisoft stock, as well as stock in Gameloft (which also owned by the family of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot). Today Vivendi upped that share to 10.4 and 10.2 percent respectively.
The company states a strategic vision of convergence between Vivendi’s content and platforms and the Ubisoft and Gameloft productions in video games. The total investment is now valued at €438 million ($496 million). Vivendi also states a possibility in due time and based on market conditions, to seek seats on both companies boards as well as further increase their investment.
Yesterday in an internal email found by GameIndustry.biz, Ubisoft CEO Guillemot promised to fight for independence after the “unwelcome” Vivendi share purchase. Guillemot went further to discourage against the as he said “unsolicited and unwelcome” purchase by saying,
“We’re going to fight to preserve our independence. We should not let this situation – nor any future actions by Vivendi or others – distract us from our goals. Our best defense is to stay focused on what we have always done best – deliver the most original and memorable gaming experiences.”
In 2007, Vivendi acquired Activision-Blizzard, and owned majority shares in the company until a 2013 buyback led by Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. Vivendi still continues to own large stakes in companies such as Dailymotion and Universal Music Group.
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