Against a backdrop of takeover rumors, Ubisoft's share price rose sharply at the end of last week.
Ubisoft shares have been on a roller-coaster ride for many years now. With a clear downward trend, it nevertheless experiences ups and downs most often linked to the success (or otherwise) of major video game releases from the company that remains France's number one publisher. Ubisoft can count on sales of the Assassin's Creed franchise when the going gets tough, and has several other successful franchises to restore investor confidence.
Assassin's Creed Shadows was postponed a few weeks ago © Ubisoft
However, this confidence has been clearly eroded since the beginning of the year, with the share price plummeting by 39.8%. So when you see the share price rise by 33.52% in just one afternoon - Friday October 4 - to 14.2 euros per share, you have to wonder. Several hypotheses were put forward by the press agencies relayed by Boursorama. On the one hand, Reuters reports that the two main shareholders (Tencent and the Guillemot family) have met with multiple advisors to " explore ways to stabilize Ubisoft and increase its value ", which raises the question of a possible resale of the group.
That said, Tencent and the Guillemot family may also want to strengthen their positions, and this is precisely what the source quoted by Bloomberg thinks. According to this second news agency, " the two entities could also join forces to delist Ubisoft ". This would require a massive share buyback, and it is no doubt this second hypothesis that has prompted many investors to acquire shares in the group. What does the future hold for France's leading gaming group? Mystery, mystery...
