Chazore said:
Were they slapped with some kind of cooling off penalty?. I wasn't even aware that was even a thing to consider (but then again, that buyout was a big one, bigger than Bethesda's purchase). I think Tencent sees the sinking ship as a means to gain ground in EU/US markets, but that's just my theory. Ever since they showed up ibn the games industry, they sided with Epic in a big way at first, then they nabbed Riot and controlled the biggest Moba on the planet and started expanding that IP around the field. They technically have a two pronged assault via their alliance with Epic and their WePlay (and I guess Riot, since they technically have their own client these days). Yves honestly has no clue what he's getting himself into tbh. Holdings companies aren't like regular corps like MS. One day they're your best mate and give you some roles, the next you're out and they've got someone else to play ball with. Holdings have no real everlasting bond (from what I've seen in history anyway, it has always been about primary interests in what they hold, rather than what they establish). At this moment in time Yves will likely have to make the offer, and it'll be Tencent who decides if it's a good deal or not. If not, the ship will simply sink further, so it's not like Yves is on even bargaining terms (your mention of some shares and a leadership position hint me to this scenario at least). |
Nah it isn't a cooling off period or anything like that.
Basically, the CMA blocked the ABK acquisition due to concerns about the Cloud Gaming Market, they said that Microsoft with ABK titles would dominate the Cloud Gaming market and essentially have a monopoly on it (in the future). Therefore Microsoft came up with a compromise wherein they would divest the ABK Cloud Streaming rights to another party (enter Ubisoft).
So essentially, Ubisoft owns the Cloud streaming licenses for all ABK titles ever released and all ABK titles which will be released over the next 10 years, they own these rights for a period of 10 years. So lets for example say, Microsoft wanted Black Ops 6 on xCloud? They'd have to pay Ubisoft for the permission and even then, Ubisoft has the right to refuse, Lmao. So basically Ubisoft could say "fuck you" to everyone and make ABK titles exclusive to their own cloud streaming service, they haven't, but they could.
Therefore if Microsoft acquired Ubisoft it would essentially make the entire divestment mute, cause then Microsoft would own the ABK licenses again, CMA would be pissed off, so the CMA slapped a 10 year ban on Microsoft for even making an attempt to acquire Ubisoft and Microsoft agreed to it so there's likely no legal way around it.
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Tencent could see it as a possibility to get a big foothold in the EU/US markets, right now they own some pretty big studios and IPs but Idk, I don't think they've really established themselves as a force in the western market yet, they own a bit in a fuck load of companies but nobody pays attention to minority shares and all that stuff and when people think of Riot I don't feel like they think of Tencent.
But "Tencent + Ubisoft" has a much bigger ring to it.
Though, Tencent is playing nice with Yves now but who knows how long that will last if Tencent manages to acquire the company. They can say "Oh yeah Yves, we'll keep you onboard, lets make the company private together" and then shit-can him months after, Lmao. So Yves better have some ironclad assurances.
Last edited by Ryuu96 - on 04 October 2024
