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EA preparing for hostile takeover of Ubisoft!

C

ComputerNerd

Banned
http://boards.ign.com/Message.aspx?topic=147941800&brd=8263&start=147941995

Makaze-IGN said:
Details forthcoming.
Click to expand...

Info provided by Argon:

http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/08/08/afx3998595.html

Forbes said:
PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Electronic Arts has raised its holding of voting shares in Ubisoft Entertainment to 24.86 pct, and owns 15.37 pct of its capital after exceeding the 20 pct of votes threshold on Friday, said French market regulator AMF.

The increase followed the allotment of double voting rights on registered shares that Electronic Arts (nasdaq: ERTS - news - people ) Nederland has owned for two years. Electronic Arts Nederland now owns 6.99 mln shares representing 13.98 votes. It has not bought any new shares of this type since Aug 3, 2005.

Electronic Arts said it reserves the right to raise its stake in Ubisoft, depending on market conditions, over the next year. It has no plans to seek to nominate board members, but could do so if the are any major changes in Ubisoft's situation.
Click to expand...

http://wii.ign.com/articles/811/811467p1.html

IGN said:
EA Tightens Hold on Ubisoft
The company now holds 25 percent voting stake in the French game maker.
by Ryan Geddes

August 8, 2007 - Electronic Arts has raised its holding of voting shares in Ubisoft to nearly 25 percent, according to reports from French stock market regulator AMF.

First reported on Forbes.com Wednesday morning, the increase gives EA 24.86 percent of Ubisoft's voting shares.

In December 2004, EA bought a 20-percent block of the French game maker, a move considered hostile by Ubisoft at the time.

EA's previously held 18.4 % of the voting rights against 22.8 % held by Ubisoft's founders.

Calls and emails to EA and Ubisoft requesting comment about the development were not immediately returned Wednesday morning.

According to the Forbes report, EA said it reserves the right to raise its stake in Ubisoft over the next year, but it has no plans to seek to nominate board members, but could do so if the are any major changes in Ubisoft's situation.
Click to expand...

Meh, the thread Makaze-IGN created made it sound like it was imminent.
 
http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/08/08/afx3998595.html

Forbes said:
PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Electronic Arts has raised its holding of voting shares in Ubisoft Entertainment to 24.86 pct, and owns 15.37 pct of its capital after exceeding the 20 pct of votes threshold on Friday, said French market regulator AMF.

The increase followed the allotment of double voting rights on registered shares that Electronic Arts (nasdaq: ERTS - news - people ) Nederland has owned for two years. Electronic Arts Nederland now owns 6.99 mln shares representing 13.98 votes. It has not bought any new shares of this type since Aug 3, 2005.

Electronic Arts said it reserves the right to raise its stake in Ubisoft, depending on market conditions, over the next year. It has no plans to seek to nominate board members, but could do so if the are any major changes in Ubisoft's situation.
Click to expand...
 
Ubisoft would do anything for money, despite being tougher than EA. They could probably fend it off, but won't :(
 
If true , i wonder if ms will get involved. ubisoft would be a huge company to get under the xbox brand. They have naruto rights , graw , vegas and god knows what else that could all quickly become 360 excsluvie .

I don't see what ea has to gain from this except some solid franchises . I would think it be cheaper for ea to just create some new ip or buy some more movie liscenses
 
yeh an editor over at the ign boards said "details forthcoming..."

sucks for ubi, but they're so similar to ea anyways.
 
I thought the Ubisoft CEO (whatever his name is) said they would do everything in their power to prevent this from happening? (when this was brought up awhile back)

Ramifications of this will be pretty interesting if true.
 
joesmokey said:
I thought the Ubisoft CEO (whatever his name is) said they would do everything in their power to prevent this from happening? (when this was brought up awhile back)

Ramifications of this will be pretty interesting if true.
Click to expand...


well in previous attempts, i believe the french gov't interfered. they have some kind of policy where they don't want foriegners investing in their home grown companies or something along those lines.
 
the disgruntled gamer said:
They're the same thing, they just have different IPs.

This registers a 0 on the boo-hoo meter.
Click to expand...

Ubi is WAY better than EA. There are some big similarities but don't even joke like that.
 
VU should just buy them both with all its WoW money. Too bad the J2M experience will probably prevent VU from buying anything for the next ten years.
 
the disgruntled gamer said:
They're the same thing, they just have different IPs.
Click to expand...
Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia.

Awesome franchises, awesome games (well, I think Creed will be awesome).
I like UBI much better than EA.
 
I support whatever outcome that will give me the Beyond Good and Evil Trilogy with bonus of true rayman platformer someday. But my guess is neither option will. cry.
 
Crisis said:
Ubi is WAY better than EA. There are some big similarities but don't even joke like that.
Click to expand...
They're a bit better, I wouldn't go as far as to say WAY better. They're better with online play and introducing new IPs. Did I miss anything?
 
Xrenity said:
Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia.

Awesome franchises, awesome games (well, I think Creed will be awesome).
I like UBI much better than EA.
Click to expand...

Yea, and once they get a hold of them they will shit all over them. This is terrible news.
 
sankao said:
VU should just buy them both with all its WoW money. Too bad the J2M experience will probably prevent VU from buying anything for the next ten years.
Click to expand...

Wow money isn´t enough.. you need MS money to swallow either one of these corps..
 
Only real bad news here is that this would mean that slim-to-none chance of seeing Beyond Good and Evil 2 is now just none.

Jtyettis said:
Yea, and once they get a hold of them they will shit all over them. This is terrible news.
Click to expand...
Sad part is I can't tell if this statement is serious or not.
 
Even though they're both similar companies, EA having even more control over the industry than they already do is no way a good thing
 
I honestly don't see the difference either way.

Both companies run their franchises into the ground with yearly updates.

It is a perfect match.
 
Jtyettis said:
Yea, and once they get a hold of them they will shit all over them. This is terrible news.
Click to expand...
As if Ubi wasn't planning to run Assasin's Creed into the ground with yearly sequels. Give me a break.
 
Upcoming Ubi games:

2007

* My Word Coach (DS, Wii)
* Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (X360)
* Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway (X360, PS3, PC)
* Assassin's Creed (PS3, X360, PC)
* Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Wii, DS)
* Haze (PS3)
* Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East (PC)
* The Settlers: Rise of an Empire (PC)
* Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII (X360, PS3, Wii, PC)
* Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PC, PS3)
* America’s Army: True Soldiers (X360)
* CSI: Hard Evidence (X360, PC, Wii)
* Shaun White Snowboarding (Working Title)
* Beowulf (PC,X360,PS3)

2008

* Lost (PS3, Wii, X360, PC)
* Tom Clancy's EndWar (PS3,X360)
* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (PC,X360)
* FarCry 2 (PC)
* Haze (X360,PC)
* Heroes (X360,PC)

2009

* Avatar
 
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/811/811466p1.html
EA Tightens Hold on Ubisoft
The company now holds 25 percent voting stake in the French game maker.
by Ryan Geddes
August 8, 2007 - Electronic Arts has raised its holding of voting shares in Ubisoft to nearly 25 percent, according to reports from French stock market regulator AMF.

First reported on Forbes.com Wednesday morning, the increase gives EA 24.86 percent of Ubisoft's voting shares.

In December 2004, EA bought a 20-percent block of the French game maker, a move considered hostile by Ubisoft at the time.

EA's previously held 18.4 % of the voting rights against 22.8 % held by Ubisoft's founders.

Calls and emails to EA and Ubisoft requesting comment about the development were not immediately returned Wednesday morning.

According to the Forbes report, EA said it reserves the right to raise its stake in Ubisoft over the next year, but it has no plans to seek to nominate board members, but could do so if the are any major changes in Ubisoft's situation.
Click to expand...
 
Short term, I don't really see this making that much difference.

Long term, it'll be a disaster. I just don't see EA and Ubisoft gelling in any way shape or form. Considering it'll be a hostile takeover I can see EA absorbing what they find desirable and selling off what they don't need.

If this deal does go through, I can imagine that in the next three to five years Ubisoft as we know it, will cease to exist.

Which surely can't be a good thing for gamers or the industry.


Maximilian E. said:
Wow money isn´t enough.. you need News Corp. money to swallow either one of these corps..
Click to expand...


Fixed for reality.
 
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