Private Equity Firms Reportedly Interested in Buying Out Ubisoft

gamerant.com:

Industry acquisitions are happening faster than ever before, as both Microsoft and Sony seek to make smart investments and expand their first-party game offerings. With the acquisition of companies including Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax Media, Bungie, and more, it begs the question of whether there are any remaining third-party companies that aren't at risk of acquisition. Compounding that mystery, a new report indicates that Ubisoft is currently fielding acquisition offers.

A report from Bloomberg claims that Ubisoft is drawing what it describes as «buyout interest» from multiple different sources. These sources are quite a surprise, however, as they're private equity firms rather than established organizations within the video game industry like PlayStation and Xbox. The two firms mentioned by name are Blackstone Inc. and KKR & Co. No potential buyout is said to be near completion, but it's possible that could change in the relatively near future.

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Blackstone is one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts of the past 30 years, with the company's assets recently measured as over $880 million. Its investments are incredibly diverse, whether it's the Bellagio resort in Las Vegas, a majority stake in Spanx, Ancestry.com, or a controversial investment in Swedish oat milk company Oatly. KKR has a similarly diverse investment profile spread across real estate, hedge funds, and media. Neither has delved into gaming before, however.

Ubisoft has been caught up in many different controversies in the past several years surrounding sexual discrimination and abuse. As a result, the value of Ubisoft's shares has dramatically fallen, making it an attractive target for