Ubisoft saw its shares tumble after Tencent announced its decision to invest €300 million in Guillemot Brothers Limited. The news made the company’s investors worried about buyout prospects.
The French publisher’s stock fell 15.34% on Wednesday, from €43.5 to €36.6. As reported by Reuters, this was a reaction to a previously announced deal with Tencent.
On September 6, the Chinese tech giant acquired a 49.9% economic stake with 5% voting rights in Guillemot Brothers Limited, a company owned by Ubisoft founders. This firm is also Ubisoft’s biggest shareholder, controlling a 15% stake in the French company.
The deal worth €300 million brings Ubisoft’s valuation to $10 billion, way above its current market cap. This investment also allowed Tencent to increase its stake in the company from 4.5% to 9.99%.
Although this deal is positive for Ubisoft in general, it also removes all the talks about a potential takeover. As one trader told Reuters, the company’s stock plunged due to the “disappointment that it may not be a takeover target as Tencent has increased [its] stake.”
The first talks about Tencent’s plans started last month, when a report suggested that the Chinese company made an offer to the Guillemot family to buy an additional stake in Ubisoft.