Tencent Invests More: Ubisoft Is Stocked by Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s from 0 comments
Image: Ubisoft
Ubisoft is stocking the group’s most successful brands in a new business unit, in which Tencent is investing $1.16 billion. The games in the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six series are to be developed from the newly created division and benefit from greater investment.
Yves Guillemot, co-founder and CEO of Ubisoft, wants to open a new chapter in the company’s history with the restructuring. The new business model aims to be agile and ambitious, the CEO explains. With Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, a growing ecosystem is to be built within the new business unit. We’re talking about new single-player adventures, expanded multiplayer offerings, more frequent expansions, new “free touchpoints,” and more social media features.
Studios in Canada, Spain, and Bulgaria
The new business unit includes the developer studios behind the aforementioned brands in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and Saguenay, as well as in Barcelona, Spain, and Sofia, Bulgaria. The new department is also responsible for the back catalog and all games in the three series currently in development. To this end, it is receiving a worldwide, exclusive, irrevocable, and unlimited license for the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six brands.
Tencent invests $1.16 billion
Tencent is participating in the new business unit with an investment of $1.16 billion and will therefore receive approximately 25% of the shares. Ubisoft is valuing the new division at $4 billion, based on a projected fourfold increase in sales with the three aforementioned brands over a two-year period from fiscal year 2023 to the end of fiscal year 2025 on May 14.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Off to a Strong Start
The company’s current statistics underscore the brands’ success using Assassin’s Creed as an example. On X, the company explains that the new Assassin’s Creed Shadows (test) achieved the second-highest first-day sales in the franchise’s history. On the Digital PlayStation Store, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was even Ubisoft’s largest day-one release. More than 3 million players had already completed over 40 million hours. Tencent’s investment comes as no surprise
Tencent’s entry comes as no surprise, as the Chinese company has steadily expanded its stake in Ubisoft over the past few years, currently holding 9.2%. In 2022, Tencent also invested €200 million for a 49.9% stake in Guillemot Brothers Limited, which until now has been owned by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. The holding company is once again involved in Ubisoft SA with a 15.4% stake and also holds approximately 22% of the voting rights. At the time, Tencent provided €100 million in fresh capital.
Topics: Assassin’s Creed Far Cry Gaming Tencent Ubisoft Economy Source: Ubisoft
A lifelong video game enthusiast, Julien reviews the latest releases and explores the technologies transforming the gaming world.
