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[RipperGrim]

The writing was on the wall when the whole Ubisoft crew went on stage at their E3 conference, it's going to happen.

On one hand it's never really good to see a hostile takeover happen because it's people's jobs and such at stake but on the other hand I think of the kind of shit Ubisoft has done (Mainly the story about the creator of Assassins Creed and how they went out of their way to fuck him over) and I lose some sympathy.

 

[Bladelaw]

This feels really sad to me. I have a ton of problems with Ubi stuff but I can't fault them for putting out some good games and it feels like they really got back on track the last couple of years. Syndicate, Rainbow Six: Siege, and now Watch_dogs 2 all show signs of serious improvement over what they were putting out before.

And the smaller projects too. Child of Light, The Banner Saga, and Far Cry: Blood Dragon were all really fun. They've certainly made missteps but they've also shown a willingness to fund some new ideas that might be lost if Vivendi takes over. Hell Child of Light got my wife into JPRGs and I'm not sure that would have been greenlit in a Vivendi owned Ubisoft.

 

[Jackano]

What? No, that's what they have now.

Yes indeed, I didn't see your post was a reply to another one at first, so NVM.

Why would all the talent quit their jobs? The implicit assumption in this kind of scaremongering is that the Evil New Owners will be Very Evil, not like the current owners Who Are Really Really Great, and so all the Talent will just go Get Other Jobs or whatever. I get why the Guillemots need to use the threat of an employee exodus to try to marshal shareholders onto their side, I don't get why regular people would place much stock in that.

Except it isn't implicite Bolloré strategy is kinda evil from his past experience and that Guillemot have been great for his company and the industry at least locally.
But yeah mass exodus is out of question, but I can foresee some nasty stories about studios trying to go independent.

 

[Guymelef]

It's inevitable.

 

[Regiruler]

Here lies any shred of hope for Red Steel 3

Guess For Honor will be the last.

 

[adversarial]

So, what happens when Vivendi takes the company over? and why are they doing this?

 

[Salty Hippo]

This will sound selfish but Ubi is currently using exactly zero IPs I care about (Rayman, Splinter Cell, BGE, Prince of Persia), so whatever happens it`s probably not gonna feel like a huge loss to me.

I still hope it doesn`t happen though, hostile takeover is just shitty.

 

[SirKhalid]

I saw that a bunch of French press wrote a week ago an article that almost half of DailyMotion employees resigned after a year they got bought by Vivendi.

 

[thepenguin55]

So, two serious questions.

1.) Where will they all go?

2.) Why would they want to leave their current jobs?

1. Anywhere. There will definitely be a purge of some kind as there often is with stuff like this. Even if it doesn't happen right away it'll happen.

2. Because of how things went last time Vivendi was in the games biz. They're a company that's not unlike Activision in how they do business. The culture at Ubisoft will definitely change and employee morale will likely be at an all time low. Their E3 stream really read like Ubisoft saying "Hey Vivendi, literally nobody here wants you to buy this company".

 

[OnionPowder]

Could this mean the end of Uplay? Because if so, I'm all for it.

Sure

If you mean that Ubisoft stops making games then yes.

Otherwise fuck no would Vivendi come in and get rid of a thing that let's them keep 30% more of the profits on digital sales. I wouldn't be shocked if they saw that and said why the fuck are we still selling games on Steam.

 

[Patryn]

So, what happens when Vivendi takes the company over? and why are they doing this?

Nobody knows. Odds are the Vivendi isn't looking to just strip and sell it, so they'll probably run it in some fashion. It's just not known if it'll be similar to how it's currently run, if they'll try to expand it, if they'll contract it, will they push yearly sequels more, etc, etc.

They're doing it because they got rid of Activision due to financial difficulties, but they've reorganized and are back in a strong position and they wish to re-enter the game market.

 

[Fisico]

Is it possible for Ubi to buy back some stocks in order to prevent this hostile takeover?

They did with the funds they had which means next to nothing.
If a white knight is supposed to come is being a bit late to the party I guess that means the Guillemot are screwed.

 

[Kill3r7]

So, what happens when Vivendi takes the company over? and why are they doing this?

There will be a bunch of new faces on the board and probably a new CEO. The company might take a more aggressive short term business approach which does not bode well for smaller/indie lite IPs. Long term who really knows. It is not as though Activision changed their business model once they departed from Vivendi.

 

[spookyfish]

There is this thing called shareholders. So no.

Thanks. I appreciate the n*n dick-hole answer (that's non, actually).

That's true. The shareholders wouldn't be as interested in protecting the IPs as the creators would be. I just hate to see people's hard work get snapped up by another company that handled its last "partnership" sooooo well.

 

[JayEH]

Think people here are freaking out for no reason. Nobody knows what this buyout will bring.

 

[gbland]

"Vivendi is hoping to build a fruitful cooperation with Ubisoft" BS. This is gonna lead to a takeover. Really wonder what they're gonna do with Ubisoft

 

[inbarrenpraise]

IPs mean nothing if you don't have talent

I can make a snarky joke about this, but instead I think I'll just say it: Ubisoft's IPs and the teams that make them are categorically and holistically interchangeable and there's not a single iota of "talent" within them. I'm not saying that the games are bad (but they are - they're fucking trash), but what I am saying is that Ubisoft doesn't have an environment that allows "talent" to flourish. Grow Home was the only Ubisoft game that I personally liked since Rayman 2 in like 1999 - and look at what happened to it? Instead of using that team to make something different and exciting, they literally had them make a "bigger" version of the exact same fucking game and shoehorned it as a sequel. That's not "talent" - that's the exact opposite. That's the exact same sort of refusal to take risks and foster talent that any of the other horrible AAA mega publishers abide by, but because Ubisoft occasionally makes it look like its games are slightly artsier it gets a free pass.

I'm that regard - this horseshit about how all the Ubi devs are going to leave and these sacred IPs are going to be fucked is just that. There's nothing unique or proprietary about anything about Assassin's Creed. It's not like for example the Souls series where one guy and one team have a unique and proprietary special sauce that sets it apart from other devs that try to rip it off. Vivendi will be able to hire writers, artists, animators, programmers, and directors who can shoe out yearly bland and boring AssCreed games and still make a ton of money off them and most people will be none the wiser.

 

[Ricky_R]

Yves Guillemot sweating buckets.

The real one or Crossing Eden?

 

[Piston Hyundai]

crossing eden are you okay

 

[Mivey]

The real one or Crossing Eden?

crossing eden are you okay

I guess at some point Vivendi might make some offer to take over his GAF account as well. Everyone has a price.

 

[Kill3r7]

Thanks. I appreciate the n*n dick-hole answer (that's non, actually).

That's true. The shareholders wouldn't be as interested in protecting the IPs as the creators would be. I just hate to see people's hard work get snapped up by another company that handled its last "partnership" sooooo well.

Sorry for the curt answer but the Guillmots have no one to blame but themselves. If you want to run a big public company this is one of the legitimate dangers/downsides you have to deal with. It could happen to any company that does not have the funds to prevent a hostile takeover. Something similar almost happened to 2K games with Carl Icahn, a few years back, when he was trying to get them to sell.

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

I can make a snarky joke about this, but instead I think I'll just say it: Ubisoft's IPs and the teams that make them are categorically and holistically interchangeable and there's not a single iota of "talent" within them. I'm not saying that the games are bad (but they are - they're fucking trash), but what I am saying is that Ubisoft doesn't have an environment that allows "talent" to flourish. Grow Home was the only Ubisoft game that I personally liked since Rayman 2 in like 1999 - and look at what happened to it? Instead of using that team to make something different and exciting, they literally had them make a "bigger" version of the exact same fucking game and shoehorned it as a sequel. That's not "talent" - that's the exact opposite. That's the exact same sort of refusal to take risks and foster talent that any of the other horrible AAA mega publishers abide by, but because Ubisoft occasionally makes it look like its games are slightly artsier it gets a free pass.

I'm that regard - this horseshit about how all the Ubi devs are going to leave and these sacred IPs are going to be fucked is just that. There's nothing unique or proprietary about anything about Assassin's Creed. It's not like for example the Souls series where one guy and one team have a unique and proprietary special sauce that sets it apart from other devs that try to rip it off. Vivendi will be able to hire writers, artists, animators, programmers, and directors who can shoe out yearly bland and boring AssCreed games and still make a ton of money off them and most people will be none the wiser.

O fuck off with this bs getting tired of this crap

 

[Nirolak]

1. Anywhere. There will definitely be a purge of some kind as there often is with stuff like this. Even if it doesn't happen right away it'll happen.

Ubisoft has 10,000+ employees. There aren't 10,000+ open positions in the game industry.

Even if we assumed they wanted to leave, the math doesn't even begin to make sense.

2. Because of how things went last time Vivendi was in the games biz. They're a company that's not unlike Activision in how they do business. The culture at Ubisoft will definitely change and employee morale will likely be at an all time low. Their E3 stream really read like Ubisoft saying "Hey Vivendi, literally nobody here wants you to buy this company".

Is there actually a sense of people being unhappy at Activision Blizzard?

Under Vivendi's tenure they greenlit everything from Overwatch to Skylanders (at a $100+ million budget) to Destiny to Hearthstone, and seemed to pretty much let the divisions go to work as they pleased.

They shed a ton of staff, this is true, but so did basically every publisher of their size.

Most of the complaints we saw with Activision filtered back to Bobby Kotick versus a couple of their studios, but Vivendi themselves seemed pretty hands off with how that was run.

Vivendi was even the one who required Activision to sign very generous five year contracts with their key studios when the merger happened. When Activision didn't want to honor Infinity Ward's later was when things went wrong.

 

[thepenguin55]

O fuck off with this bs getting tired of this crap

Just remind yourself that people are allowed to be wrong.

 

[Mega]

IPs mean nothing if you don't have talent

What I mean is, if they do take over UBI, there will be a mass exodus of talent splitting into different studios. Then the popular IPs will be of less quality, and ultimately "worthless."

Yeah, that's not happening. Regardless if a few people bailed, talent will be eager to come in and work on AAA content. People don't run away from that kind of opportunity, they run towards it at full speed.

 

[higemaru]

What's the legality of selling the Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil IPs to that new company Michel Ancel is the head of?

(and then selling the other IPs to a new studio run by exiled Ubisoft workers)

 

[Stumpokapow]

2. Because of how things went last time Vivendi was in the games biz. They're a company that's not unlike Activision in how they do business. The culture at Ubisoft will definitely change and employee morale will likely be at an all time low. Their E3 stream really read like Ubisoft saying "Hey Vivendi, literally nobody here wants you to buy this company".

So rather than quit their job when things get bad, they will quit their job because things might get bad at some point, even assuming your read on Vivendi's ownership of Activision is correct. That strikes me as a pretty self-fulfilling argument.

 

[SliceSabre]

I'm fine with Ubisoft as it is now because I tend to like the smaller games they have made recently so I'm not sure how I feel about this take over.

I mean it isn't guaranteed Vivendi will make things worse, right?

 

[Stumpokapow]

What's the legality of selling the Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil IPs to that be company Michel Ancel is the head of?

(and then selling the other IPs to a new studio run by exiled Ubisoft workers)

It is legal for a company to sell things they own. It is not legal for a company to transparently defraud its shareholders by transferring assets outside of shareholder control in deals for nothing or far less than the value of the property transferred.

 

[Emerson]

IPs mean nothing if you don't have talent

What I mean is, if they do take over UBI, there will be a mass exodus of talent splitting into different studios. Then the popular IPs will be of less quality, and ultimately "worthless."

Yves, is that you?

 

[B4D1E]

I really hope Vivendi won't fuck up the company.

I have less hope now to see a new entry in the Splinter Cell series!

 

[bobbychalkers]

Let me get Watch Dogs 2 and For Honor before you potentially fuck things up Vivendi, thx.

 

[Ketch]

Ive never really been sure why this is a bad thing, and after reading the thread I'm not sure it would be.

Lots of times new ownership leads to greater success.... At least just as often as failure.

 

[vpance]

Yeah I still don't get it either, they owned and got rid of ATVI before after all.

Sell high buy low? Just moving from one pub to another. They must think Ubi has more potential.

 

[Az987]

You'd think they'd have put in some hostile takeover defense measures after it seemed like EA was going to try to in '04.

1. Anywhere. There will definitely be a purge of some kind as there often is with stuff like this. Even if it doesn't happen right away it'll happen.

2. Because of how things went last time Vivendi was in the games biz. They're a company that's not unlike Activision in how they do business. The culture at Ubisoft will definitely change and employee morale will likely be at an all time low. Their E3 stream really read like Ubisoft saying "Hey Vivendi, literally nobody here wants you to buy this company".

They just took over Gameloft a month ago. Was there an exodus or purge there?

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Could UBI a) release people from non-compete contracts, b) have them set up another company, and then c) sell their IPs?

Is that possible?

I mean, f**k Vivendi. This is bullshit.

Pretty sure sabotaging the company and fucking over shareholders would be illegal.

 

[Roshin]

There's a lot of negativity about it but I don't think it will change anything in Ubisoft's games. It's not like it's Vivendi that made Activision release Call of Duty every other week.

No? Yves Guillemot is probably nervous for a reason.

 

[DXB-KNIGHT]

We need a French version

 

[Uzzy]

Just as long as Aisha Tyler keeps hosting the E3 conference.

 

[ps3ud0]

I wonder what triggered Vivendi interest in Ubisoft? I presume its all the IPs they are looking to make movies with?

Anyway c'est la vie Ubisoft, I dont expect great things coming out of all this. Shame the last great games they made were a while ago...

ps3ud0 8)

 

[ChaosZeroX]

Wow. RIP Ubisoft. I hope Vivendi leaves them alone once they do take over.

 

[Shari]

d*mn this ownage is insane makes u wonder y no one dos this ugh f*ck

I kinda sense the sarcasm here.

Anyone cares to explain why this is not possible? Thanks

 

[Nirolak]

I kinda sense the sarcasm here.

Anyone cares to explain why this is not possible? Thanks

It's illegal to defraud investors.

Ubisoft would have to actually successfully make the argument that they're selling their IPs at market worth (or ideally, above it) and that this was in the best interest of the company.

Since this would be a completely transparent scam to shift their assets to a private company, they'd just end up in jail and lose control of the company anyway.

 

[thepenguin55]

Ubisoft has 10,000+ employees. There aren't 10,000+ open positions in the game industry.

Even if we assumed they wanted to leave, the math doesn't even begin to make sense.


Is there actually a sense of people being unhappy at Activision Blizzard?

Under Vivendi's tenure they greenlit everything from Overwatch to Skylanders (at a $100+ million budget) to Destiny to Hearthstone, and seemed to pretty much let the divisions go to work as they pleased.

They shed a ton of staff, this is true, but so did basically every publisher of their size.

Most of the complaints we saw with Activision filtered back to Bobby Kotick versus a couple of their studios, but Vivendi themselves seemed pretty hands off with how that was run.

Vivendi was even the one who required Activision to sign very generous five year contracts with their key studios when the merger happened. When Activision didn't want to honor Infinity Ward's later was when things went wrong.

You're not wrong but the Blizzard deal was an anomaly. Also, I kind of feel like because of WOW Blizzard has a lifetime pass to do whatever they want. Ubisoft has a lot of big money making franchises, but Blizzard is a money making juggernaut.

I think my Activision example still holds in that they have sent any other company they've owned to their graves or to work in the Call of Duty mines and the moment Skylanders isn't profitable Toys for Bob is done. I don't see Activision giving them a chance to do something else.
Maybe Activision isn't a bad place to work at but you certainly don't get the variety of games from them that you do from Ubisoft and there has to be something to that. The AC games and Tom Clancy games will likely be unaffected by all of this. I definitely see Ubisoft turning into a company that takes way fewer chances and that will impact the people at the company who don't only want to work on the 1,000th AC game.

And yes, 10,000 people won't leave, but a lot of people will leave (some may even be laid off as a result of the takeover). Depending on who those people are that could have a huge impact. Now I'll be the first to say that obviously nothing I'm saying are stone cold facts. Vivendi could takeover the company and help usher in the best era of Ubisoft. I personally just think that not only is that unlikely but the opposite of this is probably more likely.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

I think the Assassins Creed movie flopping will prove to Vivendi that Ubisofts IP's are not as valuable outside of gaming as they seem to think.

 

[iNvid02]

i thought yves coming on stage at e3 and talking about freedom would surely halt vivendi in their tracks and cause them to sell their accumulated shares. im shocked

 

[SimplyOlivia]

The company might take a more aggressive short term business approach which does not bode well for smaller/indie lite IPs.

My dream of Child of Light 2 is officially over then. Damn this just sucks. There's no ray of sunshine in this storm.

 

[BlizzKrut]

I think the Assassins Creed movie flopping will prove to Vivendi that Ubisofts IP's are not as valuable outside of gaming as they seem to think.

You've seen the movie?

 

[bobbychalkers]

Ive never really been sure why this is a bad thing, and after reading the thread I'm not sure it would be.

Lots of times new ownership leads to greater success.... At least just as often as failure.

My view is that for better or worse, we all know how Ubisoft operates currently whereas I'm not entirely sure how Vivendi would steer things having a controlling interest. That and I'd hate to read massive layoff headlines in the coming months. Don't get me wrong, if and when Vivendi takes control and things improve, I'd be glad to repost in this thread and take my L.

 

[A-V-B]

I hope we get the new South Park game before this happens. It seems inevitable at this point.