Tencent acquires 49.9% ‘minority passive’ stake in Ubisoft founder’s company
In the latest round of video game acquisition news, Ubisoft announced that Tencent has acquired “a 49.9% economic stake with 5% voting rights in Guillemot Brothers Limited”, Ubisoft’s largest shareholder and the company created by Ubisoft CEO and founder Yves Guillemot. his family.
AT Press releaseUbisoft says the investment will strengthen “the company’s core stake by expanding consensus around the group’s founders for the benefit of its long-term stability and development.”
The total investment is 300 million euros, of which 200 million euros are for the acquisition of shares and 100 million euros for capital increases. The official statement also mentions that Tencent is providing Guillemot Brothers with a “long-term unsecured loan to refinance its debt” as part of the deal.
The press release also makes it clear that Guillemot Brothers Limited remains under the exclusive control of the Guillemot family:
Tencent will not be represented on the board of directors and will not receive any consent or veto power over the business.
Supposedly, this partnership will help Ubisoft in the Chinese gaming market, and the press release specifically mentions “the development of mobile games from several of Ubisoft’s main franchises and the launch of several Ubisoft PC games in China.”
