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Bloomberg: Ubisoft Wields Threat of Talent Exodus to Thwart Hostile Vivendi

M

MilkBeard

Member
I don't know how effective this tactic will be, because if Vivendi buys, they will own all Ubisoft IP's, no? That might be worth the investment itself.

Still, even with Ubisoft's jank I think it's better to keep them as they are. They still like to invest in new IPs like ZombiU and Watchdogs even if they don't go anywhere.
 
T

True Fire

Member
MilkBeard said:
I don't know how effective this tactic will be, because if Vivendi buys, they will own all Ubisoft IP's, no? That might be worth the investment itself.

Still, even with Ubisoft's jank I think it's better to keep them as they are. They still like to invest in new IPs like ZombiU and Watchdogs even if they don't go anywhere.
Click to expand...

The problem is that Vivendi doesn't care about IPs. The fact that they murdered Crash Bandicoot is proof of that. They're a conglomerate and they only care about having a portfolio of well performing companies to suck the souls out of.
 
K

Kezen

Banned
I feel no sympathy for Ubi, hawks preying on each other. I don't think Ubi will be any worse under Vivendi's control.



Go Bolloré, hit them hard.

The problem is that Vivendi doesn't care about IPs. The fact that they murdered Crash Bandicoot is proof of that. They're a conglomerate and they only care about having a portfolio of well performing companies to suck the souls out of.
Click to expand...
You just described Ubisoft there.
 
V

Vinc

Member
Griss said:
Put me in the 'Ubisoft makes incredibly detailed, well researched open worlds and no one can take that away from them' camp.

Whatever you might think of the gameplay, or the content within, their worlds are always brilliant.
Click to expand...

Absolutely this.
 
C

CertifiedFP

Member
So, does the Guillemot family have any nuclear options here to ward off Vivendi or is it over?

I was thinking for a second that the threat of finding prospective buyers for the IP rights to Assassin's Creed or Tom Clancy's stuff would do it, but in all likelyhood just mentioning that on a conference call would probably crash their stock price instantly and just make the process even easier for Vivendi.
 
Vic_Viper

Vic_Viper

Member
"That’s why our games are known for attention to detail and complex worlds.”

Said no one ever since AssCreed 1, maybe 2.
 
A

Ashby

Member
Makes me wonder why this doesn't happen more often like when Microsoft wanted to buy Nintendo back before the original xbox.
 
B

BreezyLimbo

Banned
vinnygambini said:
Update: Vivendi now owns 17.7% of Ubisoft stock.

Vivendi are now asking for one of their representative to be a member of the board

Bonne chance Ubisoft. Vivendi a tough cookie.

http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/arti...au-conseil-d-administration_4911210_3234.html
Click to expand...

I've sorta been following, and that is fucking savage.

Man Vivendi...Blizzard was able to get away from their fangs, but they killed Crash and Spyro..Vivendi is awful.

Y'know, I give ubi shit for making similar games, but they don't deserve this, it's a fate worse than death.
 
C

CertifiedFP

Member
Ashby said:
Makes me wonder why this doesn't happen more often like when Microsoft wanted to buy Nintendo back before the original xbox.
Click to expand...

Japanese financial laws/protectionism is why.

It is exceptionally easier for Japanese companies to buy up American ones than the other way around. See, how Sega is a Japanese owned Japan-centric company despite being founded in America by Americans (As SErvice GAmes, in Hawaii, by Martin Bromley and Irving Bromberg) - In the case of Sega's change of ownership over to Japanese hands it was not a hostile takeover, but for cases of Japanese companies switching hands to someone in another nation there are a lot of systems in place to prevent foreign companies from performing hostile takeovers.
 
V

vinnygambini

Why are strippers at the U.N. bad when they're great at strip clubs???
BreezyLimbo said:
I've sorta been following, and that is fucking savage.

Man Vivendi...Blizzard was able to get away from their fangs, but they killed Crash and Spyro..Vivendi is awful.

Y'know, I give ubi shit for making similar games, but they don't deserve this, it's a fate worse than death.
Click to expand...

Vivendi just held their annual shareholder meeting and mentioned they will continue to deploy capital on share purchases of Ubisoft and are still waiting on Gameloft's management to accept their previously set terms.

It's going to be nasty, and Vivendi ain't kidding. They really see both companies as growth drivers moving forward, like they have with Activision Blizzard but Vivendi was riddled with debt before, hence the selloff.
 
C

Coffinhal

Member
Kezen said:
You just described Ubisoft there.
Click to expand...

The Ubisoft hate is still pretty high on gaf. And revisionist history of companies is pretty high too.

You may not like the games, but if you look at the numbers it's not that bad for Ubisoft, I'd say it's even great. Look at what Vivendi did to the French TV Canal+ in one year, you'll see what happens when people who have no idea what they're doing are taking over a company. (i.e. fire everyone, destroy shows, lose lots of customers, get bad PR, build stupid partnerships because of "convergence"...)

Nothing good can come out of this, except maybe for Vivendi or Bolloré when they'll sell at a profit after having destroyed what they found. We're not there yet but the trend is here.
 
K

Kezen

Banned
Coffinhal said:
The Ubisoft hate is still pretty high on gaf. And revisionist history of companies is pretty high too.
Click to expand...
No hate nor revisionism here. They are a shallow of their former self and creatively bankrupt. I still like some of their games but nowhere near as much as I used to.
Good riddance.

You may not like the games, but if you look at the numbers it's not that bad for Ubisoft, I'd say it's even great. Look at what Vivendi did to the French TV Canal+ in one year, you'll see what happens when people who have no idea what they're doing are taking over a company. (i.e. fire everyone, destroy shows, lose lots of customers, get bad PR, build stupid partnerships because of "convergence"...)
Click to expand...
Transitions are never smooth, Bolloré is on the right track with the Canal+ business. Canal+ always had a leftist """progressive""" image and I'm glad he is revamping it.

Nothing good can come out of this, except maybe for Vivendi or Bolloré when they'll sell at a profit after having destroyed what they found. We're not there yet but the trend is here.
Click to expand...
I don't think it would change anything nor do I think Bolloré will actually follow through with his plans.
 
C

CertifiedFP

Member
Kezen said:
Transitions are never smooth, Bolloré is on the right track with the Canal+ business. Canal+ always had a leftist """progressive""" image and I'm glad he is revamping it.
Click to expand...

tumblr_inline_n39v5de5se1qf3bqt.gif


Just what are you playing at here saying that?
 
SentryDown

SentryDown

Member
Another Ubi-hate thread yeah ! Let's drop rules of thumb based on 3-4 AAA of their recent years instead of their actual catalogue !
 
P

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
AmaterasuOni said:
Vivendi might do some good if they wreck the annual franchises and the talent would move to create some unique IPs. I actually like their artistic stuff a lot.

Definition of soul


Ubisoft games are the opposite of deep emotions.
Click to expand...

I guess it is easier to wish people to magically land on their feet if Vivendi starts laying small teams off left, right, and centre...
 
TheRedSnifit

TheRedSnifit

Member
By now we’ve all heard of Ubisoft Thread, and if you haven’t, then you’ve been living under a rock. Ubisoft Thread is the latest in a long line of threads about Ubisoft, and with a bigger OP than ever before and no less than six pages, there’s no doubt that this year’s Ubisoft Thread is going to be the big one.

You can read Ubisoft Thread on basically any forum of your choice, but we’ve been reading it on NeoGaf, because that’s the forum it's most popular on.

Ubisoft Thread is the story of Hardcore Gamer, a hardcore gamer who is really good at gaming. One of the most iconic features of Hardcore Gamer is his seething, irrational hatred for any large publisher or developer that makes games that he does not enjoy. The thread takes place in a big forum, with lots of people and maybe even mods posting in it. That sounds like it should be a paradise, but it’s not — Ubisoft makes games not titled "Dark Souls," which angers him on a personal level. Worse yet, other people have the gall to like these games, and Hardcore Gamer is caught right in the middle of their discussions about it! Or maybe he’s the only one who can stop it? The posts in Ubisoft Thread are stale and a bit uncompelling, but that’s okay, because the more irrationally angry he is at Ubisoft, the more hardcore a gamer he is.
 
R

Rembrandt

Banned
James Scott said:
It's pretty clear that they don't want to be picked up. Why not get several smaller studios instead?
Click to expand...

Ubisoft's IPs basically print money and they release big games on a frequent, consistent schedule. Plus there's a lot of potential if the Assassin's Creed movie does well.
 
F

Frumix

Suffering From Success
Well the only franchise I'm kinda worried for is Might and Magic which is all guaranteed to be dead and buried, but it's all guaranteed to be dead and buried without Vivendi as well so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
C

CertifiedFP

Member
I'd like to remind everyone here that Vivendi tried to yoink the rights to Half-Life from Valve (And tried to perform a hostile takeover of Valve) back in the day in an incident that almost killed Valve before Steam could get off the ground.

Think on that people. Think on that.
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
CertifiedFP said:
I'd like to remind everyone here that Vivendi tried to yoink the rights to Half-Life from Valve (And tried to perform a hostile takeover of Valve) back in the day in an incident that almost killed Valve before Steam could get off the ground.

Think on that people. Think on that.
Click to expand...

Isn't that pretty much the reason Gabe basically refuses to take Valve public? To avoid a takeover?
 
S

SneakyStephan

Banned
RurouniZel said:
Isn't that pretty much the reason Gabe basically refuses to take Valve public? To avoid a takeover?
Click to expand...

If that is true then vivendi trying to fuck valve back in the day is the best thing that ever happened in gaming.

If valve ever goes public *shudder* I cringe at the thought
 
C

CertifiedFP

Member
RurouniZel said:
Isn't that pretty much the reason Gabe basically refuses to take Valve public? To avoid a takeover?
Click to expand...

Well, yeah.

But Vivendi's takeover attempt was by way of the Bethesda Strategy rather than stock buyout.

IE, starve a contracted developer of funds until the owner agrees to sell.

EDIT: Don't know why I call this the Bethesda Strategy. All the major AAA publishers (Notably the likes of EA and Activision) used to do this until a few years ago, it's just Bethesda that still attempts this regularly (Or would be, if any independent studios remaining were foolish enough to work with them, which I doubt at this point after the Prey 2 blowout). IIRC John Riccitiello said shortly before he left EA that it was a bad idea that basically always ended with lost money due to the ensuing talent exodus resulting in crap games that bomba until EA gives the studio a cigarette and blindfold - Basically what's going to happen to Ubisoft if Vivendi succeeds. Not sure if DICE was acquired this way or not, but that buyout by EA shortly after 2142's release still feels fishy to me to this day.

A lot of closures of independent studios last gen were a result of developers falling prey to this and choosing to self-immolate rather than submit.
 
1

1st Course

Member
Vivendi raised bid for Gameloft, now own ~30% of shares.

Vivendi SA raised its hostile bid for Gameloft SE to 8 euros a share, an 11 percent increase, as it seeks to build support for an offer that expires next week.

The offer was raised automatically from 7.20 euros under French rules after Vivendi purchased a small amount of stock on Thursday at the higher price, market regulator AMF said in a statement. Vivendi said it now owns 29.4 percent of Gameloft’s capital and controls 26.5 percent of the votes. Gameloft shares fell 0.7 percent to 7.18 euros on Thursday before trading was suspended in Paris in light of the new offer. They will resume trading on Friday.

Vivendi upped its price to win over other shareholders before the offer closes on May 27, according to people familiar with the matter. That will put additional pressure on the Guillemot family, who control both Gameloft and larger gamemaker Ubisoft Entertainment. Analysts at Bryan Garnier have speculated that Gameloft may be a way for Vivendi and its chairman, Vincent Bollore, to force talks with the Guillemots and eventually negotiate a friendly takeover of Ubisoft.
Click to expand...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...le-gameloft-bid-after-buying-stake-at-premium
 
H

Hasney

Member
SneakyStephan said:
If that is true then vivendi trying to fuck valve back in the day is the best thing that ever happened in gaming.

If valve ever goes public *shudder* I cringe at the thought
Click to expand...

I doubt they'll ever go public, at least under Gabe. The biggest reason anyone goes public is for a quick cash injection and they have more than enough money unless they want to branch out to something bigger than games ever.
 
AHA-Lambda

AHA-Lambda

Member
I'm sorry I still find it amazing that Ubi can't do anything to block this if it's something they themselves don't want or don't believe is in the best interests for the company =/

Also I know Ubi and Gameloft are connected by Guillemot but they're still separate companies right? So how does getting leverage in Gameloft mean they'll get leverage in Ubi?
 
Z

zeox

Member
AHA-Lambda said:
I'm sorry I still find it amazing that Ubi can't do anything to block this if it's something they themselves don't want or don't believe is in the best interests for the company =/
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat as you, this just seems completely crazy to me
 
C

Culex

Banned
AHA-Lambda said:
I'm sorry I still find it amazing that Ubi can't do anything to block this if it's something they themselves don't want or don't believe is in the best interests for the company =/

Also I know Ubi and Gameloft are connected by Guillemot but they're still separate companies right? So how does getting leverage in Gameloft mean they'll get leverage in Ubi?
Click to expand...

Isn't this how a hostile takeover works? You buy all or a huge majority of shares, then force a shareholder vote for a merger.
 
M

Matt

Member
AHA-Lambda said:
I'm sorry I still find it amazing that Ubi can't do anything to block this if it's something they themselves don't want or don't believe is in the best interests for the company =/

Also I know Ubi and Gameloft are connected by Guillemot but they're still separate companies right? So how does getting leverage in Gameloft mean they'll get leverage in Ubi?
Click to expand...
Ubi could have prevented this...by keeping more control of their shares. Which they did not do.
 
J

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
CertifiedFP said:
I'd like to remind everyone here that Vivendi tried to yoink the rights to Half-Life from Valve (And tried to perform a hostile takeover of Valve) back in the day in an incident that almost killed Valve before Steam could get off the ground.

Think on that people. Think on that.
Click to expand...

The former, yes, but not the latter (you're probably thinking of Sierra withholding ~$2.4m in retail royalties); all of Valve's games have been self-funded, including Half-Life 2. In other words, Vivendi couldn't have initiated a hostile takeover of Valve even if it wanted to as Valve wasn't relying on Vivendi's money to operate.
 
F

Fisico

Member
AHA-Lambda said:
I'm sorry I still find it amazing that Ubi can't do anything to block this if it's something they themselves don't want or don't believe is in the best interests for the company =/
Click to expand...

Who is this "Ubi" you're talking about ?
Legally it's an entity splitted in millions of shares and the more you own the more "you" are Ubi, you can also do whatever the fuck you want with these shares and if someone want to buy them from you at a high price why should you refuse ? (from an economical point of view that is)
The Guillemots only own around ~15% and apparently don't have enough leverage to prevent an hostile takeover, they're the ones who decided to dilute "who" Ubi was in the first place (to raise funds mostly and maybe a bit of pocketmoney for themselves while they're at it )
 
AHA-Lambda

AHA-Lambda

Member
Culex said:
Isn't this how a hostile takeover works? You buy all or a huge majority of shares, then force a shareholder vote for a merger.
Click to expand...

Yeah I understand how one works I just can't believe that really it's a thing when pretty much by definition its toxic. But if the management don't want it I just would ahve thought they could block it. Guess that's just capitalism.

Fisico said:
Who is this "Ubi" you're talking about ?
Legally it's an entity splitted in millions of shares and the more you own the more "you" are Ubi, you can also do whatever the fuck you want with these shares and if someone want to buy them from you at a high price why should you refuse ? (from an economical point of view that is)
The Guillemots only own around ~15% and apparently don't have enough leverage to prevent an hostile takeover, they're the ones who decided to dilute "who" Ubi was in the first place (to raise funds mostly and maybe a bit of pocketmoney for themselves while they're at it )
Click to expand...

ok, fine when I say "Ubi" replace it with "Ubi Management"
 
K

Kill3r7

Member
AHA-Lambda said:
Yeah I understand how one works I just can't believe that really it's a thing when pretty much by definition its toxic. But if the management don't want it I just would ahve thought they could block it. Guess that's just capitalism.



ok, fine when I say "Ubi" replace it with "Ubi Management"
Click to expand...

It's a publicly owned company and management does not a controlling # of shares. Their stock has gone up since the rumors of the Vivendi takeover broke. I guess the sharks are swarming.

Mario007 said:
Then they got themselves to blame as they obviously tried to expand too quickly at the expense of owning the company.
Click to expand...

They had to raise capital somehow. Selling/diluting their shares was the easiest way. The truth is that most major corporations are susceptible to a hostile takeover as no single shareholder has enough shares to block such such a move.
 
M

Mario007

Member
AHA-Lambda said:
Yeah I understand how one works I just can't believe that really it's a thing when pretty much by definition its toxic. But if the management don't want it I just would ahve thought they could block it. Guess that's just capitalism.



ok, fine when I say "Ubi" replace it with "Ubi Management"
Click to expand...
Management dont own the company. Shareholders do. Management is simply there to make day to day decisions with the power that shareholders decide to give to them.
 
T

ThoughtsOfSpeaking

Banned
Except for the probable death of ubiart projects and rayman, from a consumers point of view, I can't see where this is such a bad thing.

Ubisoft is already rushing products to market annually with derivative cookie-cutter gameplay. They are already moving the majority of their products towards always online and their games are already are shit show in terms of performance at launch.

The scope of AC as a series might be toned down somewhat but honestly, it might be a good thing anyway if the next AC is made by a normal sized AAA team and on a budget. It will force people to be creative instead of just recreating historical periods digitally.
 
T

Tigress

Member
Dr.Social said:
Regardless of what you think about Ubisoft's current direction I can't imagine it getting any better under Vivendi's management.

And you could probably forget about their smaller projects like Grow Home and Valiant Hearts.
Click to expand...

This is how I feel. I don't like ubisofts direction. I don't think this is a good thing and I hope they succeed in fighting it.
 
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