It feels like every single month there is news of a new acquisition of video game company. This year alone, we’ve seen Microsoft absorb Activision Blizzard, Sony buy the former Halo developer Bungie, Take-Two acquire the keys to the Farmville developer, and Epic Games pick up the Brazilian developer Aquiris. Now there is an even bigger acquisition rumor swirling around the industry.
Ubisoft – the hugely acclaimed publisher that has recently brought Immortals Fenyx Rising, Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle to Switch – is reportedly being looked up to by a number of corporations. Bloomberg reports that these firms include Blackstone and KKR, both of which have formally invested in gaming and technology-related businesses.
Last year, Ubisoft launched its own NFT platform for a rather negative response, but the study dipping its toes in may well have attracted this potential investor interest. And while their upcoming Project Q will not include them, their experiments with NFTs are still worth noting.
Kotaku reports that Ubisoft has used consulting firms to revise and “clean up its books” for a potential sale. And while several publications have reached out to the studio, Ubisoft has not confirmed whether this is the case. However, rumors have done wonders for the company’s stock over the weekend, which rose 11% on Friday as the whisper got higher.
Ubisoft has also been accused of misconduct and sexual harassment, with Ubisoft admitting last year that it had severely abused the process. And with a series of high-profile departures and game delays, the Assassin’s Creed publisher has been in an uncertain position for some time.
While this is a rumor at the moment, the broader consolidation of the video game industry looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. We will keep you updated if anything is confirmed.