Ubisoft Entertainment SA is looking to bring in investors to a new entity that will include some of its core video-gaming intellectual property, including Assassin's Creed, according to people familiar with the situation.
The company is considering selling a minority stake in the venture and has contacted potential bidders, including current shareholder Tencent Holdings Ltd. and funds globally and in France, where Ubisoft is based, the people said. Ubisoft has asked for preliminary bids to be made as soon as this month, the people added, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter.
Ubisoft, which was founded by France's Guillemot family, may seek a valuation for the yet-to-be formed IP unit that is higher than the size of the main company's, the people said. Considerations are ongoing, no final decision has been made and plans could still change, they added.
A representative for Ubisoft referred a query for comment to the company's quarterly earnings, in which it said the review of various transformational strategic and capitalistic options is ongoing to help extract the best value from Ubisoft's assets and franchises for all stakeholders. Tencent declined to comment.