EA’s Take-Two Bid Sparks Ubisoft License Hunt
By Tom Ivan
Electronic Arts’ bid to acquire Take-Two is driving Ubisoft to speed up its own expansion plans, says the CEO of the French publisher.
According to a Thompson Financial report, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told Les Echos that EA’s recent $2 billion bid to purchase Grand Theft Auto IV publisher Take-Two was forcing the company to re-evaluate its own growth strategy.
“The desire of EA to buy Take-Two pushes us to go faster, to accelerate internal growth but also to look at acquisition opportunities,” Guillemot said.
According to the report, Ubisoft is likely to focus on expanding its portfolio of game licenses rather than targeting any major takeovers.
EA holds a 15 percent stake in Ubisoft and has often been linked with a move to acquire the French publisher. However, the success of games such as Assassin’s Creed (pictured), which Ubisoft expects to sell five million units by the end of the current fiscal year ending in March, has upped the publisher’s market value and arguably made it less susceptible to a hostile takeover bid.
Ubisoft shares fell 1.85 percent on Monday as investors deemed an EA takeover of the publisher less likely in light of its Take-Two move.
