Vivendi announced that its acquired stakes in two French video game publishers, Ubisoft and Gameloft. The entertainment and broadcasting group bought 7.36 million Ubisoft shares, a 6.6 percent stake, for EUR 140.3 million and 5.24 million Gameloft shares, a 6.2 percent stake, for EUR 19.7 million. It used available cash for the two transactions.
Separately, Les Echos writes that the operation could seem paradoxical as Vivendi decided to pull out of the video game market two years ago by selling 85 percent of Activision Blizzard and keeping only a 5.7 percent residual stake. A person close to Vivendi said that the context has changed and that the Ubisoft and Gameloft share purchase is mainly a financial investment in a sector Vivendi knows well and in two promising companies.
Ubisoft announced record revenues in 2014, up 40 percent to EUR 1.46 billion, thanks to the success of franchises such as Assassin’s Creed. Gameloft, which speciliases in mobile games, recorded 15 percent revenue growth in the first half.
Gameloft reacted with the following statement: "We take note of the unsolicited action on the part of Vivendi. We reiterate our intention to remain independent, an approach that, since our founding 16 years ago, enabled us to become a world leader in mobile gaming, and from 2015, a significant and fast growing actor of mobile advertising."
