Ubisoft reportedly drawing buyout interest from several private equity firms

gamepur.com:

Ubisoft is reportedly attracting attention from various private equity firms that could have an interest in acquiring the company, according to a report by Bloomberg. Two firms in particular — Blackstone Inc. and KKR & Co. — have studied the video game publisher, according to the report, but Ubisoft has not entered “serious negotiations” with any potential buyers, claimed the report. 

Both of the identified firms are reportedly in the early stages of analyzing Ubisoft. According to Bloomberg’s sources, “there’s no certainty any of the suitors will proceed with offers.” Additionally, it’s unknown whether Ubisoft’s shareholders would want to pursue a deal, the report claimed. In a statement to Bloomberg, the French game publisher did state that its solid portfolio would allow the company to capitalize on new opportunities within the video game industry, should they emerge.

While the prospects of a company purchasing Ubisoft seem far from tangible at this point, the report did seem to have a positive impact on the company’s stock price. As spotted by video game industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, Ubisoft’s stock price surged by 11% after the report dropped.

Ubisoft previously survived a hostile takeover attempt by French media company Vivendi SE, which lasted for roughly two years before Vivendi divested itself fully of Ubisoft in 2018. Within the past few years, the company faced a misconduct scandal, which motivated many of its workers to form a workers interest group named “A Better Ubisoft.”

This news comes at a time when acquisitions are a common sight in the video game industry. Swedish media company Embracer Group has notably scooped up several game developers and publishers, such as Gearbox Entertainment, Aspyr Media,