Ubisoft, the game developer and publisher behind Assassin's Creed and The Division, is becoming increasingly worried that its parent company has plans to eventually take over.
The parent company in question is Vivendi, and it recently bought out more shares of Ubisoft stock, something it started doing several years ago. This could eventually lead to a hostile takeover, something Ubisoft has recently spoken out against.
"This is a confirmation of their habitual strategy of creeping control, in which they say they have no intention to take control of Ubisoft while steadily increasing their stake and preparing an offensive at the next Annual Shareholders Meeting," a spokesperson for Ubisoft wrote to Game Informer. "This strategy of successively announcing conflicting intentions is contrary to good corporate practices and is not in the best interests of Ubisoft's other shareholders."
The latest buyout gives Vivendi 17.73 percent of control over Ubisoft's capital, as well as 15.66 percent of its voting shares. The company has consistently stated that it has no plans on taking over Ubisoft, but the game publisher feels differently and stated that it is "not at all surprised by this latest statement from Vivendi, nor by the intent behind it."
Three years ago, Vivendi received a bailout package from Activision for $8 billion. Since then, the company has made moves to increase its stakes in the video game industry. Earlier this year, the company attempted to buy out Gameloft in a similar fashion: by slowly buying up shares that eventually gave it more than 30 percent of control over that company. Ironically, Gameloft's owners are the Guillemot family, who are also currently in control of Ubisoft.
Ubisoft plans on fighting any takeover agenda that Vivendi has in mind with the intent of retaining its independence, in spite of Vivendi's recent actions.
"Moreover, despite our repeated written requests since they first entered into our capital, Vivendi has never presented any details or convincing plan on how this supposed cooperation would take place," Ubisoft wrote. "Ubisoft's management remains committed to preserving the independence of the company, which is the condition for the long-term value creation that will benefit all of our shareholders."
