Reuters: Ubisoft founding family raises stake to ward off Vivendi

[Legend]

Reuters: Ubisoft founding family raises stake to ward off Vivendi - NeoGAF

France's Guillemot family has raised its stake in videogames maker Ubisoft (UBIP.PA), according to a stock market filing released on Tuesday, as part of their ongoing battle to fend off Vivendi's (VIV.PA) rival interest in the company.
 A filing from the AMF stock market regulator said Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family now held 13.6 percent of Ubisoft's share capital, and 20.02 percent of the company's voting rights.
 Vivendi has also been gradually raising its stake in Ubisoft, best known for its Assassin's Creed and South Park video games, with Vivendi currently holding 27 percent of Ubisoft's share capital and 24.5 percent of the voting rights.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ub...technologyNews
 They are not going down without a fight.
 

Hopefully it works out.

[BananaKing]

hopefully it works indeed. ubisoft has been great and they are only getting better it seems. they are really pushing for a huge array of franchises and keep pushing new IP's. i really hope this works and that vivendi can fudge off.

[the-pi-guy]

Feels like a money war.  

Hope Ubi wins.

[Xevross]

Get iced Vivendi. Ubisoft is doing all the right things right now, any change of direction would probably a bad thing, and vivendi would be one of the worst possibilities.

I hope Yves and the rest of them hold out

[darkknightkryta]

Does it really Matter?  I mean Activision wasn't destroyed because of Vivendi.  Not to mention a company with billions of dollars worth of debt shouldn't have the capital to spend billions of dollars to buy another company in the first place.

[the-pi-guy]

Does it really Matter?  I mean Activision wasn't destroyed because of Vivendi.  Not to mention a company with billions of dollars worth of debt shouldn't have the capital to spend billions of dollars to buy another company in the first place.

I can't find too much about Vivendi's debt, but:

The moves have allowed Vivendi to rapidly pay down debt and increase cash returns to shareholders while leaving it with ammunition to do acquisitions of its own. Indeed, once the SFR deal closes, Vivendi will have a cash pile of around €5 billion, leaving it with some room to maneuver even after it pays down debt and returns nearly €5 billion in dividends and share buybacks to shareholders

Also, debt isn't a bad thing for a company.  Companies and individuals take on debt to be able to have capital to be able to buy things they normally wouldn't be able to.  

[darkknightkryta]

I can't find too much about Vivendi's debt, but:
Also, debt isn't a bad thing for a company.  Companies and individuals take on debt to be able to have capital to be able to buy things they normally wouldn't be able to.  

I thought I read that they had to put the money from when they sold Activision to their debt.  I recall it being a large sum.  Maybe I'm wrong.  Though my point isn't so much them having debt is the problem, it's them having debt and having billions of dollars appear out of thin air to buy out another company.