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Ubisoft bought back a number of shares to thwart a possible takeover by Vivendi

The reclaimed shares amount to an additional 3.2 percent stake.

David Craddock

September 26, 2016 2:25 PM

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In an effort to ward off a possible takeover by Vivendi, Ubisoft repurchased shares in its company from Bpifrance bank through its share buyback program (via Gamasutra).

Ubisoft paid $137.9 million to reclaim 3.625 million shares, representing 3.2 percent of the company's total capital. The buyback from Bpifrance will become official in November. " We want to express our warm gratitude to Bpifrance for its support during all these years," CEO Yves Guillemot said in a press release.

This marks the latest attempt by Ubisoft founders and brothers Michel and Yves Guillemot to protect their company from a hostile takeover by Vivendi. This past June, Vivendi successfully took over Ubisoft's mobile-focused studio Gameloft by slowly purchasing enough stock to attain a minority leadership role.

Michel Guillemot resigned from Gameloft following the takeover, and Yves Guillemot has been vocal in expressing Ubisoft's desire to remain independent. "Creativity, agility, and risk-taking is intrinsic to our industry," he said in an interview with GameSpot. "If you are independent, you know the level you can go to, but if you're part of a conglomerate that doesn't understand what your industry is, how fast it's moving, or the decisions you have to make at speed, they can limit your possibilities."

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.