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[Mister Wolf]

I hope they buy them out. Maybe the Chinese investors won't bend the knee to feminism.

 

[pasterpl]

Wondering if European Union would approve it?

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

twas the prospect of being bought by a non propaganda company, Microsoft is fairly less egregious than tencent or ubisoft

Absolutely not. Microsoft has strict production guidelines that determine the content of its videogames, from the kind of characters they can make, to which stories are good and which aren't. You can't get more censored than that.

Every American Big Tech is the same about this.

 

[Astray]

But usually the fish stinks from the head. I doubt the Guillemots will change their stance on a lot of stupid decisions in the past. Anyway, lets see how this is going.

True, but they were also heads of the company while it was great too.

Generally the founders taking over things again is seen as a good thing.

 

[Kotaro]

potential reduction 40% of the staff

 

[PeteBull]

True, that's why capitalism loves trends like inclusion, because inclusion means a more diverse groups of people interested in your product, which means expending your customer base, which means more revenue.

Capitalism doesn't give a shit about gender or ethnicity, and it definitely doesn't give a shit about agendas. They care about growth.

Edit: love the 'lols'. It kinda reveals the partisan hacks that don't understand basic econ, or are severely disconnected.

U saying expanding but all ubisoft did was alienate their loyal base in pursuit of modern adience that doesnt exist(or to be exact, doesnt buy new 70$ games at launch).
There is a reason SW:O supposedly sold only 1m copies so far, thats not expanding, thats deflating

There is a reason Barbie movie was targeted towards women and made profit, basically only women saw it, same reason Oppenheimer targetted male audience only and was very profitable too, those movies can coexist just fine but u cant combine them into one

U wont be able to target both, otherwise men would love romantic comedies

and women would buy ppv for bare knuckles fighting events

, this stuff simply doesnt happen irl :>

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

I hope they buy them out. Maybe the Chinese investors won't bend the knee to feminism.

Maybe the Chinese utilize Tencent as a pseudo private proxy to execute a psyop where Western countries are targeted with this stuff in order to weaken our civilization while the media inside China has to conform to entirely different standards? Just putting on my weekend tinfoil hat here

 

[Toons]

If you're cheering this on, you have given into fear delusion and are not going to like whats coming on rhe other end any more. In fact you'll probably find it worse.

 

[BigLee74]

Why, whenever I see a thread with tencent in the title, do I keep thinking that some American rapper is going to be buying out companies and take over gaming.

Every time.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

 

[HL3.exe]

U saying expanding but all ubisoft did was alienate their loyal base in pursuit of modern adience that doesnt exist(or to be exact, doesnt buy new 70$ games at launch).
There is a reason SW:O supposedly sold only 1m copies so far, thats not expanding, thats deflating

There is a reason Barbie movie was targeted towards women and made profit, basically only women saw it, same reason Oppenheimer targetted male audience only and was very profitable too, those movies can coexist just fine but u cant combine them into one

U wont be able to target both, otherwise men would love romantic comedies

and women would buy ppv for bare knuckles fighting events

, this stuff simply doesnt happen irl :>

I'm not defending this strategy (I personally like specific products and visions, instead of 'made for everyone so it's made for no one'). But broadening consumer goals and margins is basic econ 101, which gives you an idea why companies do these things, and less about underlying agendas because they couldn't care less. Only if there is a invented audience that is willing to pay, are they willing to invest in stuff like that, and inclusivity in general seems to be working in broadening the playerbase in the last 10 years.

 

[PeteBull]

If you're cheering this on, you have given into fear delusion and are not going to like whats coming on rhe other end any more. In fact you'll probably find it worse.

Bro it cant be worse, we stopped buying those shitty ubi games a while ago, if ubi-cent games gonna keep being bad then our time and money is simply given to other devs so nothing changes =]

 

[Toons]

Bro it cant be worse

Oh, but it can be worse. Especially if your current definition of "worse" is the pretty benign stuff we've gotten.

It can be a lot worse.

 

[Neofire]

Oh Lord I hope not

 

[nani17]

If this happens Im wondering what will happen to Beyond Good and Evil 2

 

[PeteBull]

I'm not defending this strategy (I personally like specific products and visions, instead of 'made for everyone so it's made for no one'). But broadening consumer goals and margins is basic econ 101, which gives you an idea why companies do these things, and less about underlying agendas because they couldn't care less. Only if there is a invented audience that is willing to pay, are they willing to invest in stuff like that, and inclusivity in general seems to be working in broadening the playerbase in the last 10 years.

Here we got different opinions, all the DEI games to me at least seem pretty offputting, offputting enough that i feel so repulsed by them to not buy/play them, im sure other ppl have higher tolerance for this shit but personally being 80s kid from behind iron curtain i wasnt brainwashed by all those progressive concepts, feminism included

BTW, Wukong sold over 20m copies already, by simply being good game(on 70m usd budget for its 6years of dev time).

 

[PeteBull]

Oh, but it can be worse. Especially if your current definition of "worse" is the pretty benign stuff we've gotten.

It can be a lot worse.

Instead of female mike tyson with crooked nose we gonna get winnie the pooh as main character in their next open world game ? Give examples kindly plz xD

 

[LordBlodgett]

This won't change a gosh darned thing. Are you all not reading that it is a purchase by Tencent AND THE GUILLEMOT FAMILY. That is the same family which already has 20% ownership and currently runs Ubisoft. Why would there be a big change in they way they are run if it is still owned and managed by the same people?

This is just them taking the opportunity to take the company private and increase their stakes when the price is low...

 

[HL3.exe]

Here we got different opinions, all the DEI games to me at least seem pretty offputting, offputting enough that i feel so repulsed by them to not buy/play them, im sure other ppl have higher tolerance for this shit but personally being 80s kid from behind iron curtain i wasnt brainwashed by all those progressive concepts, feminism included

BTW, Wukong sold over 20m copies already, by simply being good game(on 70m usd budget for its 6years of dev time).

I'm an 80s kid too, but I wouldn't call sociological progress 'brainwashing'—that's a bit reductive or even regressive. Society will always have growing pains, and current trends aren't much different from the ones we grew up with. The 2000s were just as cringe in gaming, with all the dudebro shooters and corny dialogue. Now, the dialogue is still corny, just in a different way. However, writing in general has evolved a lot. Games like God of War or Red Dead Redemption 2 are much more mature in their themes, for example.

As for Ubisoft, they got stuck in a rut. They neither progressed nor stagnated; they became complacent, not really wanting to change but still trying to diversify. As a result, they ended up appealing to no one.

Edit: as for Wukong. Most of those sales where in China understandably. In the west it was received rather mixed.

 

[LordBlodgett]

The thread title is wrong.

What's happening is the Guillemot family and Tencent (majority stockholders) are considering buying out the public shares and taking the company private. Likely because they want to retool the company without the public market and reporters scrutinizing every single move.

This move is essentially the same thing Michael Dell did back in the 2010s.

EXACTLY!

 

[Sentenza]

Will that make their games any better, out of the frying pan into the fire.

In ITSELF it would probably make no fucking difference.
Who they put in charge of Ubisoft studios after the buyouts (and with what mandate to do what) on the other hand could change everything.

 

[Fess]

They're safer with China than with parasitic Shareholders.

Yeah I'm starting to think that there is nothing good coming from a publicly traded stock. The reason Steam is still great is likely because there is no investor push to add toxic money making bs.

 

[Da1337Vinci]

Man I expected cuts but damn up to 40% that's like ca 8k employees.

 

[ValiantInstance]

The only thing that interests me about this is an AC2 remake in UE5. I no longer have any hope for new Ubisoft games regardless of what happens.

 

[Raven117]

My bet is they are pursuing two strategies. One is the sale. But I would be shocked if they aren't also hunting for financing and seeing which is the better deal.

I just…. Man… this is starting to feel more like a restructuring.

 

[MayauMiao]

This won't change a gosh darned thing. Are you all not reading that it is a purchase by Tencent AND THE GUILLEMOT FAMILY. That is the same family which already has 20% ownership and currently runs Ubisoft. Why would there be a big change in they way they are run if it is still owned and managed by the same people?

This is just them taking the opportunity to take the company private and increase their stakes when the price is low...

Tencent could tell the Guillement family to not get involved in the decision making, be a sleeping partner.

Meanwhile Tencent could clean house, hire competent people, get rid of DEI nonsense, and start focusing on creating games that gets eyeballs.

 

[SentientStone]

It kind of makes sense, Assassin's Creed open world thing would work great for the ancient Chinese worlds.
I have no special love for Ubisoft so go Tencent go. lol

 

[PeteBull]

I'm an 80s kid too, but I wouldn't call sociological progress 'brainwashing'—that's a bit reductive or even regressive. Society will always have growing pains, and current trends aren't much different from the ones we grew up with. The 2000s were just as cringe in gaming, with all the dudebro shooters and corny dialogue. Now, the dialogue is still corny, just in a different way. However, writing in general has evolved a lot. Games like *God of War* or *Red Dead Redemption 2* are much more mature in their themes, for example.

As for Ubisoft, they got stuck in a rut. They neither progressed nor stagnated; they became complacent, not really wanting to change but still trying to diversify. As a result, they ended up appealing to no one.

Agree on ubisoft part, company was terribly missmanaged at least for 10years now.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

I don't like anything in Ubisoft anyway so I absolutely do not mind Tencent taking over. There would at least be better looking characters. Although I don't really like much from Tencent at the moment either except for System Shock 3 but that one isn't even out yet. And who knows they might be able to make me like certain series more than what Ubisoft is currently doing anyway. So I'll all for Tencent or any other company taking over.

 

[PeteBull]

It kind of makes sense, Assassin's Creed open world thing would work great for the ancient Chinese worlds.
I have no special love for Ubisoft so go Tencent go. lol

U onto something bro, big budget ancient china setting rpg where u can cultivate and train martial arts- solid af imo.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Must be Shawn Layden's suggestion (he's an advisor to Tencent)

I mean....ugh I guess go for it? Ubisoft are at a low point, they can't get any lower under Tencent I suppose. But I wouldn't expect a rejuvenation of creativity in that type of acquisition. Just expect doubling-down on AssCreed and the like.

This would make a funny situation for Microsoft tho, because now Tencent would have cloud streaming rights to their games across Europe .



It's at $1.73 billion Euro ATM so...definitely not $10 billion American.

Try just under $2 billion dollars. It'd be a super-cheap acquisition for a company like Tencent.

it's unlikely they would sell for essentially their current market cap.

Probably more like at a $3 billion valuation.

 

[StereoVsn]

In ITSELF it would probably make no fucking difference.
Who they put in charge of Ubisoft studios after the buyouts (and with what mandate to do what) on the other hand could change everything.

You might say they would have a Mandate of Heaven!

 

[Warspite]

Wondering if European Union would approve it?

Have they got a history of blocking these things?

 

[Iced Arcade]

if sold I wouldn't be surprised if the streaming COD/Activision game rights go back to Microsoft like DeepEnigma mentioned a bit ago


makes you wonder if this was planned all along

 

[DeepEnigma]

if sold I wouldn't be surprised if the streaming COD/Activision game rights go back to Microsoft like DeepEnigma mentioned a bit ago


makes you wonder if this was planned all along

What a coincidental choice, eh?

 

[pasterpl]

Have they got a history of blocking these things?

Not sure about the past, but very recently European Union is getting very protective of its internal market - they just voted to impose 45% import tax on cars from China. EU and USA are trying to limit China's reach and influence.

 

[NahaNago]

Tencent buying them out wouldn't necessarily fix them. It would just give them money to continue to do what they are doing.

 

[KINGMOKU]

Ew. I like to see developers failing, but a Tencent takeover just turns the company into a propaganda tool.

Uhhhhhh...

 

[Cyberpunkd]

How do trading halts work and who gets to decide/mandate such a thing? As a trading noob, this always seemed 'unfair' to me.

They trigger automatically when shares move for a large margin in either direction. The purpose is to take emotions out of the equation, since large swings may mean people are either panicking or displaying unreasonable enthusiasm regarding the stock.

 

[AyraSutoraifu]

Maybe the Chinese utilize Tencent as a pseudo private proxy to execute a psyop where Western countries are targeted with this stuff in order to weaken our civilization while the media inside China has to conform to entirely different standards? Just putting on my weekend tinfoil hat here

Some truth in there.
Chinese buying everything = bad.

Just dissolve Ubi.

 

[Braag]

I don't honestly know if this is good or bad. All I know is that Ubisoft in its current state is one of the studios I avoid, so to me they can't really get any lower than they already are.

 

[Fake]

Maybe they know what a woman is.

 

[SJRB]

 

[Astray]

potential reduction 40% of the staff

That dude should stick to working on turning around his floundering game.

Lmfao.

 

[CompleteGlobalSaturation]

Yes because investors love to lose money.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Maybe the Chinese utilize Tencent as a pseudo private proxy to execute a psyop where Western countries are targeted with this stuff in order to weaken our civilization while the media inside China has to conform to entirely different standards? Just putting on my weekend tinfoil hat here

That's not tinfoil, it's a tale as old as time if anyone has read any history books. The hubris or cognitive dissonance that we are somehow impervious in our modern times, or this doesn't happen, is ignorance of the highest order. Heads in the sand.

If anything,, the psyop is much easier in today's Hollywood programming and social media age.

 

[DJTaurus]

Yes because investors love to lose money.

Its not a conspiracy but its a well know fact. Shorting stocks actually is more profitable for investors. That is a well known practice the last 5 years on Hollywood by flooding the market with dei/esg/woke C R A P.

 

[Kerotan]

China already owns a good deal of Hollywood (Legendary Pictures is theirs) and their propaganda is more subtle than anything made in the West, not even a competition.

Actually, Chinese devs like Mihoyo circumvent the official production guidelines, which doesn't happen in our "free" democratic countries.

Saudi Arabia has invested in Nintendo, too. At least they are not actively trying to destroy it, as Western investors are.

I feel like both Nintendo and Saudis are somewhat based. Saudis funnily show Western culture more respect then the diversity cult.

Maybe it's not so bad China buying them. If Sony paid 3BN for bungie surely they'd throw 5 or 6bn at ubi.

 

[Toons]

Instead of female mike tyson with crooked nose we gonna get winnie the pooh as main character in their next open world game ? Give examples kindly plz xD

First you're going to have to explain what "female Mike Tyson is", but if it's that cherry picked star wars Outlaws screen grab then I dont think you have much substance to that criticism.

And no, I'm not speaking about characters appearances that all when I'm talking about worse. I'm talking about "your game will potentially have Spyware in it " worse.

 

[GigaBowser]

AAA game over