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Official press release from Ubisoft
That's interesting, right?
Edit - non paywalled:
investing.com
PARIS – March 27, 2025 – Today, Ubisoft announced that it is accelerating its transformation by taking an important step in rapidly evolving its operating model with the creation of a dedicated subsidiary based on its Assassin's Creed®, Far Cry®, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® brands. Following the formal and competitive selection process initiated by the Group earlier this year, Tencent's will invest €1.16bn for a minority stake in the new subsidiary. This new subsidiary will focus on building game ecosystems designed to become truly evergreen and multi-platform. Backed by greater investment and boosted creative capacities, it will drive further increases in quality of narrative solo experiences, expand multiplayer offerings with increased frequency of content release, introduce free-to-play touchpoints, and integrate more social features.
This transaction values the entity at a pre-money Enterprise Value of c.€4bn, implying a FY23-FY25E average sales multiple of around 4x. It highlights the strong value of Ubisoft's IPs, significantly reinforces its balance sheet, and enables the company to continue its efforts to become a more agile organization, unleash the full creative potential of its teams and better align its resources with the constantly evolving expectations of players.
The binding agreement with Tencent follows the formal and competitive process in exploring and assessing different strategic options announced earlier this year. Based on the careful consideration of several expressions of interest received from diverse parties, and its duty to act in the best interests of all Ubisoft stakeholders, the Board of Directors, upon recommendation from the ad hoc Committee, determined that this transaction crystalized the best value for Ubisoft's assets and unanimously approved the proposed transaction on March 27, 2025. The Board of Directors has, upon ad hoc Committee recommendation, appointed Finexsi acting as independent expert in view of the issuance of a fairness opinion.
In parallel to the creation of this new entity, Ubisoft will focus on nurturing the development of iconic franchises including Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon® and The Division®, accelerating the growth of top performing titles and leveraging disruptive technologies on selected new IPs, while continuing to deliver state-of-the-art production game engines and online services. More details on the Group's future operating model will be shared at a later stage.
"Today Ubisoft is opening a new chapter in its history," said, Yves Guillemot, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "As we accelerate the company's transformation, this is a foundational step in changing Ubisoft's operating model that will enable us to be both agile and ambitious. We are focused on building strong game ecosystems designed to become evergreen, growing high-performing brands and creating new IPs powered by cutting-edge and emerging technologies."
"With the creation of a dedicated subsidiary that will spearhead development for three of our largest franchises and the onboarding of Tencent as a minority investor, we are crystalizing the value of our assets, strengthening our balance sheet, and creating the best conditions for these franchises' long-term growth and success. With its dedicated and autonomous leadership team, it will focus on transforming these three brands into unique ecosystems."
Guillemot concluded, "We are committed to building a sharper, more focused organization-one where talented teams will take our brands to the next level, accelerate the growth of emerging franchises, and lead innovation in next-generation technologies and services, all with the goal of delivering enriching, memorable games that exceed players' expectations, and create superior value for our shareholders and other stakeholders."
Martin Lau, President of Tencent, said "We are excited to extend our longstanding partnership with Ubisoft through this investment, which reflects our continued confidence in Ubisoft's creative vision and exceptional talent to drive sustained success in the industry. We see the immense potential for these franchises to evolve into long-term evergreen game platforms and create engaging new experiences for gamers."
Relationship between the new subsidiary and Ubisoft Entertainment:
o The new subsidiary would include the teams developing the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Assassin's Creed and Far Cry franchises based in Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Barcelona, and Sofia as well as the back-catalog and any new games currently under development or to be
developed.
o The new subsidiary would be granted by Ubisoft a worldwide, exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual license in respect of the intellectual property and similar proprietary rights owned or licensable by Ubisoft in relation to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Assassin's Creed and Far Cry in exchange for a royalty.
Main terms of the binding agreement with Tencent:
o Tencent would invest in the new subsidiary which is headquartered in France and 100% owned by Ubisoft immediately prior to the transaction. Specifically, at closing of the transaction, Tencent would invest a total amount of EUR1.16bn for an approximate 25% economic interest in the New subsidiary, that will be used to strengthen Ubisoft's balance sheet by significantly reducing its consolidated net debt position, accelerate the Group's transformation, and sustain growth of selected franchises. After closing of the transaction, the new subsidiary would remain exclusively controlled and consolidated by Ubisoft.
o Conditions precedent to the transaction:
− Issuance of a fairness opinion from Finexsi acting as independent expert
− Completion of the carve-out to create the new subsidiary
− Obtention of the necessary regulatory clearances
Ubisoft can unilaterally waive the issuance of the fairness opinion as a condition precedent.
o Completion of the transaction is expected before the end of 2025.
o The new subsidiary would have a dedicated leadership team, supervised by a Board of Directors, focused on enhancing creative vision and streamlining operations, with the authority to make swift, high-impact decisions across development, marketing, and distribution, to ensure these brands continue to evolve, attract new audiences, and deliver groundbreaking gaming experiences for years to come.
o Tencent would benefit from customary minority protection veto rights as well as certain consent rights on the disposals of the important new subsidiary assets
o Other provisions in relation to Tencent's shareholding in the New subsidiary notably include:
o A 5-year lock-up undertaking on New subsidiary shares held by Tencent, unless Ubisoft no longer owns a majority of New subsidiary voting rights and share capital
o Ubisoft may not cease to hold a majority of New subsidiary voting rights and share capital for a 2-year period
o Customary share transfer provisions, including, a right of first refusal to the benefit of Ubisoft, a right of first offer to the benefit of Tencent, tag-along right to the benefit of Tencent, and drag-along right to the benefit of Ubisoft (subject to certain conditions)
o Call option to the benefit of Ubisoft and put option to the benefit of Tencent in the event of certain change of control of Ubisoft approved by its Board of Directors – [Exercise price will be the higher of (i) the fair market value of New subsidiary shares and (ii) the same EBIT multiple as that in the change of control transaction of Ubisoft; it being
specified that for the call option there will be a specific minimum price protection during
the first 4 years following closing of the transaction with Tencent.
That's interesting, right?
Edit - non paywalled:
investing.com
Investing.com -- Ubisoft Entertainment SA (LON:0NVL), the French video game company, announced on Thursday that it is forming a subsidiary with an enterprise value of approximately €4 billion ($4.3 billion). This new entity will include popular game franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.
Chinese multinational conglomerate Tencent Holdings Ltd (HK:0700) (F:NNND). is set to invest €1.16 billion for a 25% stake in this newly formed subsidiary. In exchange for a royalty, the new entity will hold licenses for the intellectual property of the games.
Ubisoft (EPA:UBIP), established by the Guillemot family in France, has been actively seeking new investors for its video game properties. The value of this new unit exceeds the current enterprise value of Ubisoft, indicating a significant milestone for the company.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot shared his enthusiasm about this development, stating, "Today Ubisoft is opening a new chapter in its history. This is a foundational step in changing Ubisoft’s operating model that will enable us to be both agile and ambitious."
The new subsidiary will not only include the teams working on the mentioned titles but will also manage the back catalog and any forthcoming games under development. This strategic move by Ubisoft and Tencent’s investment marks a significant moment in the gaming industry.
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