Tencent Reportedly Opens Wallet for Majority Stocks
Tencent is reportedly interested in becoming a majority shareholder in developer/publisher Ubisoft. According to a new report from Reuters news outlet, the holding company, already a minority shareholder, 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 largest shareholder in Ubisoft and is reportedly willing to pay a staggering premium of over $100 USD per share to make it happen: more twice the current value of the share. The Reuters report unsurprisingly sparked a surge in Ubisoft shares on Wednesday, with a 15% rise in value, pushing Ubisoft share prices up from $43.03 to around $ 48.33.
There have been many rumors about a possible sale of Ubisoft for some time now, with rumors that the Guillemot family, some of whom are the company’s initial founders, may have been looking to buy the company outright. However, if Tencent decides to put its money where its mouth is, it seems highly unlikely that anyone would be able or willing to match its roughly 130% share price proposal. 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. In addition to owning several in-house development studios, Tencent has various stakes in companies such as Activision, Supercell, Epic Games, Remedy, Riot Games, PlatinumGames, Bohemia Interactive, Dontnod Entertainment, Klei Entertainment, Inflexion, and Funcom.
