After prolonged speculation, it is now certain that Ubisoft and Tencent are collaborating. The Chinese mega-corporation will have an influence on 3 successful franchises from Ubisoft in the future.
What does the future collaboration look like? Ubisoft is establishing a new subsidiary with Tencent within Ubisoft that is valued at around 4 billion euros. Tencent owns 25% of this company, giving the Chinese giant a minority stake. Rumors and analyses regarding the collaboration have already surfaced beforehand.
This subsidiary is set to encompass 3 major IPs from Ubisoft. These include Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. In an internal email that Insider Gaming has obtained, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot states that this step represents a milestone in the history of Ubisoft
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This historic agreement is primarily a recognition of the extraordinary work you have done over the years: The value of these three brands directly reflects your individual and collective talent and efforts that have allowed us to create these beloved franchises.
Why did the merger occur? The CEO of Ubisoft hopes that through Tencent’s investments, changes that have been discussed for several months at Ubisoft will be accelerated. Tencent is expected to promote the brands and turn them into global icons.
This means that games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows now partially belong to Tencent:
Significance of the collaboration is still uncertain
What does this mean? What exactly this means is currently unknown. Ubisoft admits that there are many questions for the company’s employees that cannot be answered at the moment. However, Tencent’s investment gives the company influence over the direction Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six will take. Ubisoft states that:
- The quality of narrative solo experiences will be enhanced.
- The multiplayer offerings will be expanded more often with new content.
- Free-to-play touchpoints will be introduced.
- More social features will be integrated.
Moreover, the operational model of Ubisoft is expected to fundamentally change. What exactly this means will likely be seen in the coming weeks, months, or even years.
In addition, Ubisoft also wants to continue working on its other IPs that are not part of this subsidiary. The company mentions titles such as Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon or The Division.
What is Tencent? Tencent is the largest gaming company in the world, making it even bigger than Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo. The company has achieved significant success primarily through mobile games and microtransactions. Titles like PUBG Mobile or Brawl Stars contributed to the company’s market value.
In the past, Tencent has invested in Western studios, including in Germany. If you want to know more about this, you should check out the following article on MeinMMO: One gaming company is bigger than Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft – And its emblem is a damn penguin.
