Ubisoft has established a new subsidiary focused on its flagship Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six franchises, with a significant €1.16 billion (approximately $1.25 billion) investment from Tencent. This move comes shortly after the successful launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, which has already surpassed 3 million players. The launch follows a challenging period for Ubisoft, marked by several high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations, which led to the company's share price reaching an all-time low. The pressure is now on Assassin's Creed Shadows to perform well.

The newly formed subsidiary, valued at €4 billion (approximately $4.3 billion) and headquartered in France, aims to develop "game ecosystems designed to become truly evergreen and multi-platform." Tencent will hold a 25% stake in this venture. Ubisoft plans to enhance the quality of narrative solo experiences, expand multiplayer offerings with more frequent content releases, introduce free-to-play elements, and integrate more social features into their games.

Ubisoft also intends to concentrate on the development of its Ghost Recon and The Division franchises while continuing to grow its top-performing games. Yves Guillemot, co-founder and CEO of Ubisoft, stated, "Today Ubisoft is opening a new chapter in its history. As we accelerate the company’s transformation, this is a foundational step in changing Ubisoft’s operating model that will enable us to be both agile and ambitious."

Guillemot emphasized the company's commitment to building strong, evergreen game ecosystems, growing high-performing brands, and creating new IPs using cutting-edge technologies. The new subsidiary will include development teams from Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Barcelona, and Sofia, and will encompass Ubisoft’s back-catalog and any new games currently in development or planned for the future. This suggests that existing projects are secure, and there are no immediate plans for further layoffs.

The transaction is expected to be finalized by the end of 2025.

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