The publisher behind Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Just Dance could be the next major acquisition in the world of video games. Reports by Bloomberg and Kotaku have suggested that there are several private equity firms circling the company. In addition, it’s said that the higher-ups within Ubisoft are getting things in line for a potential sale in light of continued development struggles.
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One of the major reasons for Ubisoft’s struggles has to do with its upcoming lineup of heavy hitters, many of which appear to be farther out than the company would like. The next entries for Far Cry, Ghost Recon, and Assassin’s Creed have all hit significant delays, to the point where Ubisoft is supposedly carving out DLC from Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla as a standalone experience to fill a hole in their schedule.
Those who’ve followed Ubisoft for more than a few years will remember that the company famously staved off a hostile takeover from Vivendi back in 2018. Since then, the 35-year-old publisher has suffered from a wave of departures from senior staff and the already mentioned production troubles with some of its biggest upcoming titles. These key issues and a flagging stock price can be seen as the continuing ramifications of accusations of sexual misconduct within the company that started in the summer of 2020.
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Ubisoft representatives responded to Kotaku when asked about the rumors, saying that they don’t comment on speculation before they commented about how attractive they are as a game-making entity. “We … have one the industry’s deepest and most diversified portfolios, cutting-edge services and technologies, and a large and growing community of engaged players. As a result, we’re ideally positioned to capitalize on the rapid industry growth and platform opportunities that are emerging right now.” While a company acquiring Ubisoft may have seemed over the top just a few short years ago, huge money deals like Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard have redefined what’s possible in the industry, and it seems that no independent entity is truly safe.
