Ubisoft Celebrates 30th Anniversary With New Video, as Takeover Concerns Loom

Ubisoft has released a new video that spotlights some important milestones in the company's history, including the origins of Assassin's Creed, and more recently, the publisher's film and TV endeavors. Top creators at Ubisoft are on display in the video, including Ubisoft Montreal boss Yannis Mallat.

This video comes as Ubisoft is facing the unsolicited and unwelcome share purchase action by media conglomerate Vivendi. According to Ubisoft, this threatens the company's independence. The description for this video states that Ubisoft asked its various teams to talk about a time when independence made a "big difference" during their careers at the company, so this definitely ties in.

Additionally, Ubisoft recently launched a website called "We Love Ubisoft." This site lets Ubisoft employees--and anyone else--share photos that speak to their admiration for the company. There are already more than 3,000 uploads on the site.

In October 2015, Vivendi purchased a 6.6 percent stake in Ubisoft, before raising it to 10 percent in February 2016, and then 18 percent in April, 2016. In June, it was reported that Vivendi upped its stake to 20.1 percent and was considering acquiring more shares.

Earlier this year, Vivendi gained majority control of mobile publisher Gameloft, which was run by Michel Guillemot, brother of Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot. Following the acquisition, the Guillemot family said it would sell its remaining control to Vivendi.

Analysts believe that Vivendi's acquisition of Gameloft is part of a larger plan to buy Ubisoft. The Guillemots are currently working with financial advisers to build a defense plan against a potential takeover attempt from Vivendi.

We'll report back with more details on the Vivendi-Ubisoft matter as they become available. In other news, Yves Guillemot now has a Facebook page.

In other Ubisoft news, the company this week announced Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection. This PlayStation 4 and Xbox One bundle due in November comes with new versions of Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin's Creed Revelations with "enhanced graphics."