Ubisoft behind SCi approach?

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK
Posted Sep 6, 2007 5:55 am PT

One prominent British newspaper believes Ubisoft is currently in talks with the Eidos parent.

The rumour mill has gone into overdrive after the announcement made by UK-based SCi Entertainment earlier this week that it was involved in "extremely preliminary" takeover talks.

SCi has not revealed the name of the potential suitor, although financial Web sites and analysts have voiced their own opinions.

Top of the list so far has been Warner Bros., which in December last year bought a 10 percent stake in SCi and then licensed swathes of its extensive IP to the British firm.

Megapublisher Electronic Arts has also been touted as a possible candidate, along with Sony as an outside chance.

Now The Guardian has placed its bets on French company Ubisoft, which it also believes made an approach to the company in 2005, although a formal offer was never made.

Another rumour with a decidedly Gallic flavour being touted by some well-placed industry insiders puts entertainment giant Vivendi Universal in the frame. The parent company of Blizzard and Sierra has been suggested as an interested party due to the recent financial success of the company's gaming properties, Vivendi's long-term strategy of growth through acquisition, and the potential for internal synergies with its other gaming properties.

This is not the first time that the French giant has been linked with SCi. In 2005, shortly after SCi's acquisition of Eidos, rumours in the British press forced Vivendi to issue a terse denial of its interest in the British firm.

SCi shares were up 44.5p last night to 384p, putting the company's current market value at £332 million ($669 million).

20 Comments

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HALOISTHEBEST26
Posted Sep 7, 2007 6:06 am PT

i hope they make ghost reacon advance warfighter 3, cuz #2 was my second most played game on 360
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Irve
Posted Sep 7, 2007 1:41 am PT

could you imagine the bidding war that would go on if either MS or Sony took an interest in this publishers would be very worried !
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Pete5506
Posted Sep 6, 2007 7:23 pm PT

I like Ubisoft, I gess its ok
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printice21
Posted Sep 6, 2007 2:37 pm PT

everyones wrong....microsoft is going to buy them!

just kidding, it would be a very microsoft type thing to do though.
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comthitnuong
Posted Sep 6, 2007 2:30 pm PT

Better than Ubisoft than EA I guess.
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lamprey263
Posted Sep 6, 2007 1:55 pm PT

yeah, Ubisoft would probably make the best of Eidios IP; I don't trust Vivendi with this takeover, Blizzard Entertainment may have made WoW, Starcraft, and Diablo, but those games are so different from the kind of games Eidos makes, plus Sierra has been (in my opinion) dying in recent years, and I'm pissed they did absolutely nothing with HomeWorld IP once THQ got a hold of Relic.
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runstalker
Posted Sep 6, 2007 1:48 pm PT

They do have some mighty good properties, like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Hitman. Whoever gets them also gets Crystal Dynamics. Now that's a scoop.
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uberjannie
Posted Sep 6, 2007 12:25 pm PT

Better no be Electronic Arts..
Someone tell me its not them!
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pandaramaster
Posted Sep 6, 2007 12:09 pm PT

Yeah, the possibility of a third Deus Ex would be awesome. I hope they do make it. Imagine the potential such a title would have!
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ShmenonPie
Posted Sep 6, 2007 10:05 am PT

BigC43, I agree with what you've said, but the next gen Deus Ex would have to be on 360 and PS3, not 360 and PC this time, like Bioshock.
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Dark_Nexus3367
Posted Sep 6, 2007 10:00 am PT

BigC43, a Deus Ex game developed by 2K Boston would be a dream come true for me lol. If anything though, I would not mind Ubisoft or Vivendi picking up SCi,but I lean more towards Ubisoft since they really put some quality and finesse in their titles. I think they could improve the Hitman,Tomb Raider,and Deus Ex franchises with the developer studios they have. Ubisoft has great taste in art styles for their games (Just look at Splinter Cell,Rayman,and Assassin's Creed).
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BigC43
Posted Sep 6, 2007 9:26 am PT

I kinda wish 2K would take over Eidos. Just imagine a next gen Deus Ex developed by 2K Boston...
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xboxrulze
Posted Sep 6, 2007 9:14 am PT

The world will spiral in to a pit of doom if EA take over...
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Metallicantera
Posted Sep 6, 2007 7:40 am PT

hope its ubi i tend to like most of what they put out... ea on the other hand... haven't owned 1 of their games since i was like... 12?
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IC3_MAST3R
Posted Sep 6, 2007 7:24 am PT

Better not be EA.
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PS3Compass
Posted Sep 6, 2007 7:19 am PT

As long as it isn't EA...
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beckoflight
Posted Sep 6, 2007 7:10 am PT

Well if Its UBISOFT or VIVENDI i can liv with it especially if UBI takes it because UBI puts the most quantities of cash in their games that is way their products are so many times revolutionary if not solid .... Hpe its not EA pls GOD !
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thug_angel123
Posted Sep 6, 2007 6:54 am PT

damn! this news was a sore how about SCi reviving carmageddon..
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boobush
Posted Sep 6, 2007 6:40 am PT

Eidos should be owned by Activision or Ubisoft, because they're owning the market; why? Because they make good games.
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Timotht
Posted Sep 6, 2007 6:27 am PT

Meh not a big fan of SCi anyways
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