There’s been some silence between the two companies in the past months…
Reuters says that during 2017, Vivendi is going to accelerate its acquisitions in the video gaming industry, and the first „victim” could be Ubisoft. Vincent Bolloré-led Vivendi already has a 25% ownership in that company.
Reuters’ source claims that while the logical step could be purchasing Ubisoft, it could be happening only via a hostile takeover, as Yves Guillemot, the current CEO, doesn’t want Vivendi to take ownership. However, Bolloré isn’t bent on getting Ubisoft as soon as possible – he may be eyeing Chinese expansions instead.
Whatever will happen between the two companies, something will eventually happen. Yves Guillemot might not be fired just yet, but who knows, Bolloré could be gaining power on the Chinese gaming market, and then defeat Guillemot on home soil in a year or so. (After all, that 25% stake is not going to run away…)
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