Ubisoft is currently exploring the creation of a new company aimed at attracting investors by focusing on selling key franchises such as Assassin's Creed. According to Bloomberg, Ubisoft is planning to sell a stake in this new entity and has initiated discussions with potential investors, including Tencent, as well as various international and French funds. The anticipated market value of this new company is expected to surpass Ubisoft's current market capitalization of $1.8 billion.
While these plans are still in the discussion phase, no final decision has been reached yet. Ubisoft could potentially abandon this initiative, and much depends on the success of their upcoming release, Assassin's Creed Shadows. The company remains optimistic about the game, noting that pre-orders are progressing well.
Amidst these developments, Ubisoft finds itself embroiled in another controversy in Japan. Takeshi Nagase, a member of the Kobe City Council and the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly, has publicly criticized Ubisoft for its handling of religious themes in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Nagase finds it deeply offensive that the game allows players to attack monks in temples or shoot arrows at such structures. He also objects to the depiction of the renowned Engyō-ji temple in Himeji, particularly scenes where the character Yasuke enters with dirty shoes and damages the sacred mirror inside.
