Vivendi increases stake in Ubisoft

Despite Ubisoft’s protestations, Vivendi has increased its financial interest in the publisher.

Bloomberg reports that Vivendi has added to the 6.6 per cent stake it acquired in Ubisoft last week to 10.4 per cent, and indicated that it could expend it further. It has also upped its Gameloft stake from 6.2 per cent to 10.2 per cent.

“These investments are part of a strategic vision of operational convergence between Vivendi’s content and platforms on one hand and the Ubisoft and Gameloft productions in video games on the other,” Vivendi stated.

Yesterday Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot described the initial share purchase as “unsolicited and unwelcome” and stated that a Vivendi buyout would leave Ubisoft "managed by people who don’t understand our expertise and what it takes to succeed in this industry".

Our sister-site MCV has further details.