Tencent would seek to acquire new shares of Ubisoft | Xbox One

Marked by many movements and other takeovers in the video game industry, the year 2022 never ceases to surprise us. After the colossal acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft at the start of the year, movements of the same ilk have multiplied and more and more players in the sector have decided to move their pawns and better position themselves. This is the case of Tencent, which is very interested in a video game giant that has not been in top form in recent months.

Tencent wants to become majority shareholder of Ubisoft

It’s a published article by Reuters journalists which evokes the plans of the Chinese giant Tencent, the information having been collected by four anonymous internal sources. We discover that Tencent Holdings Ltd wants to considerably increase its shares in Ubisoft Entertainment SA. Tencent, like other Chinese groups, is turning more and more towards the global scene and “mainstream” video games, in particular by building bridges with companies already well established in these markets.

In 2018, Tencent already bought 5% of Ubisoft’s shares, but the Chinese group’s strategy was more long-term than that. Tencent now wants to become the largest shareholder of Ubisoft, if not the only shareholder. The group could offer €100 per share to acquire these additional shares in 2022, whereas one could count €66 in 2018 for the 5% stake.

The sources mention a very aggressive strategy on the part of Tencent, which is in direct competition with NetEase, the other Chinese giant in the sector. The sources mention a term sheet incorporating a price “much higher” than the company’s current price in order to rule out any potential competition.

“Tencent is very committed to closing the deal, as Ubisoft is a very important strategic asset for Tencent. »

While Tencent already owns shares of Epic Games, Riot Games or even a majority share of Supercell, the addition of Ubisoft to this list would undeniably put Tencent in the court of the very groups in the sector. The Chinese market has not finished surprising us and we will have to count on it in the coming years.