Rumor: Tencent looking to become majority stakeholder in Ubisoft

destructoid.com:

Tencent is reportedly interested in becoming a majority stakeholder for developer/publisher Ubisoft. According to a new report from news outlet Reuters, the holding company, already a minority stakeholder, is considering making a significant investment in the Assassin’s Creed/Far Cry developer in the near future.

Citing multiple sources “with direct knowledge of the matter”, Reuters claims that Tencent has expressed a desire to become the key shareholder for Ubisoft, and is allegedly willing to pay an astounding premium of over $100 USD per share in order to make it happen — more than twice the share’s current value. Reuters report, unsurprisingly, caused a rise in Ubisoft stock Wednesday, with a 15% rise in value increasing Ubisoft share prices from $43.03 to around $48.33 .

There have been many whispers of a possible Ubisoft sale for some time now, with rumors that the Guillemot family — some of whom are the company’s initial founders — might have been looking to purchase the company outright themselves. Should Tencent choose to put its money where its mouth is, however, it seems very unlikely that anyone would be able or willing to match its proposal of an approximate 130% share price. And perhaps the holding company is willing to offer such a premium for that very reason.

Tencent, of course, already has minority and majority stakes in numerous major players within the gaming industry. As well as owning several internal development studios, Tencent holds varying stakes in companies such as Activision, Supercell, Epic Games, Remedy, Riot Games, PlatinumGames, Bohemia Interactive, Dontnod Entertainment, Klei Entertainment, Inflexion, and Funcom.