Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was questioned during an earnings call on Thursday (thanks VGC) if the consolidation of the games industry would limit the reach of the publisher. Guillemot stated that the company can "remain independent" while in the same breath saying that it would "review" any acquisition offers.
According to Guillemot, Ubisoft is confident that it can remain independent despite the ever-increasing numbers of acquisitions and mergers seen in the games industry over the past few years. Guillemot names Nintendo as a valuable partner, stating that the collaboration between the two on games like Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle has been "very fruitful."
It's not out of the realm of possibility that Ubisoft could be acquired by a bigger company. Microsoft's recent buyout of Activision Blizzard has put most third-party publishers on the table in terms of big acquisitions, while Sony continues to buy up smaller studios like Bungie. Ubisoft also has a bunch of quite appealing franchises in its vault, something which Guillemot has pointed out himself.
"We have high-value assets, we have the scale to remain independent and create very meaningful value in the future, because we have scale in terms of our workforce, engineering, technology, IPs, and engaged communities."
Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Prince of Persia, Rayman, and Splinter Cell are just a handful of the IPs that Ubisoft owns, and a potential acquisition would likely cost close to the $68.7 billion Microsoft paid for Activision Blizzard. Sony seems more content buying up smaller studios for comparatively smaller figures, so it would likely be Microsoft if an acquisition were to come about, although the company is currently having to deal with antitrust issues.
Whatever the case, Ubisoft might want to consider cleaning the house before inviting potential buyers over. Workers under the banner of "A Better Ubisoft" have recently claimed that the publisher has refused to engage with the group, having now ignored demands for a better workplace for over 200 days.