Vivendi takes stakes in games companies

The Vivendi office is seen in Paris on Wednesday, May 17, 2006.Vivendi has take stakes in French games specialists Ubisoft and Gameloft.

The media giant has acquired 7.36 million Ubisoft shares for €140.3 million, giving it a stake of 6.6%. it acquired 5.24 million Gameloft shares for €19.7 million, giving it a stake of 6.2% in the latter.

Vivendi previously held a 61.1% stake in US-based games provider Activision Blizzard, but sold this down in two phases in 2013 for about €9 billion, with then president Jean-René Fourtou citing the group’s need to reduce its debt pile and an apparent dislike among board members of the violent nature of some Activision Blizzard games.

Ubisoft, the third-placed games provider for PCs and consoles worldwide, produces titles including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Watch Dogs, while Gameloft focuses on games for mobile devices.

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