Ubisoft falls on the Paris Stock Exchange after the release of “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” is postponed

The action of the French video game giant Ubisoft fell by some 10% at the start of the session on Friday on the Paris Stock Exchange, before recovering somewhat, the day after the announcement of a further postponement of the release of the next episode of “Assassin’s Creed.”

The group also announced, Thursday after the close of the Stock Exchange, that it had recorded “sales weaker than expected during the end-of-year holidays” of his game in the Star Wars universe. Around 9:30 a.m., the Ubisoft share price fell 7.87% to 11.36 euros. Over twelve rolling months, the group’s value on the stock market has fallen by almost 50%.

Ubisoft has indicated that it is considering “various strategic and capital options” for the rest. “We have started a process with advisors, it’s one more step”declared Frédérick Duguet, CFO of Ubisoft. “Ubisoft will inform the market (…) if and once a transaction materializes”the company said. The publisher, which employed 18,666 employees worldwide at the end of September and around 4,000 in France, is the subject of takeover rumors which have multiplied in recent months, notably by the Chinese tech giant Tencent and the Guillemot family. Tencent, with whom the Guillemot brothers have sealed a union in 2022 to keep control of the company, holds nearly 10% of the capital. The Guillemot family owns around 15%. Several options would be on the table, including a buyout and an exit from the stock market.