Tencent “very determined” to add more Ubisoft to scary portfolio By Lee Brady, 05 Aug 2022 FollowtopicsAssassin's Creed ValhallaUbisoftLee Brady Tencent wants to become the largest shareholder in Ubisoft, with sources stating it was "an important strategic asset" in Tencent's plans and would give the Chinese conglomerate stronger footing in gaming markets abroad.Tencent has reportedly offered to buy Ubisoft shares from the Guillemot family — which owns around 15% of the company — and from private shareholders, in a bid to raise its previous 5% stake and become Ubisoft's largest single shareholder. More shares would see Tencent taking greater control over IPs like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and the Tom Clancy games.Eivor staring down the middle distance on this one.Tencent portfolio already includes Fortnite, Pokémon, and Sackboy gamesUbisoft, despite continued takeover interest in the past months, has not been having a great time of it. Leaks of the Assassin's Creed series future were ultimately addressed when the unannounced Assassin's Creed Rift was delayed and development on its troubled Prince of Persia remake was pushed indefinitely.So news of Tencent eyeing up Ubisoft, as reported by Reuters, while its prospects are lower than usual seems about right. It would mean the company, if successful, would have greater decisive power in the direction of franchises like Assassin's Creed and other Ubisoft series — all of which would fall under the company's frankensteinian IP portfolio.Maybe suggesting Ubisoft should start praying to the gods is a little melodramatic.Tencent's interests and mobile development company have seen the company's name pop up on games like Fortnite, Pokémon Unite, Call of Duty Mobile; not to mention anything touched by Sumo Digital, like PS Plus Extra title Sackboy A Big Adventure or Team Sonic Racing. PlatinumGames (Babylon's Fall), Remedy Entertainment (Control), Roblox — it's a frankly terrifying amount of tendrils that all stem back to a single company, and to count Ubisoft more firmly among them just seems wild.It'll be interesting to see how it all pans out — Ubisoft has been rather good at fending off outside interests before, preventing a Vivendi takeover back in 2019 and ousting the company's interests. Will they do so again with a weaker year ahead and facing down the might of Tencent? Let us know your thoughts on whether they'll survive the next wave below.More Assassin's Creed Valhalla stories: Free Assassin's Creed games will light up your PS5 gaming this weekend Assassin's Creed Mirage is way shorter than AC Valhalla's madness Assassin's Creed Nexus skips PS VR2 announcement ahead of full reveal Assassin's Creed Valhalla review — too much bloat for the Viking boat Assassin's Creed Mirage may really win back the Valhalla RPG haters Industry News Written by Lee BradyStaff Writer Lee keeps one eye on the future (Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth), one eye on the past (PS Plus Premium, recent Sony news), and his secret third eye on the junk he really likes (Sonic Superstars, Final Fantasy XVI). Then he uses his big mouth to blurt out long-winded opinions about video games.