Ubisoft’s vice president of live operations has weighed in on the publisher’s potential takeover by Vivendi by saying, “It wouldn’t be the same.”
In an interview with PCGamesN, Anne Blondel states that the company’s independence is what has made it successful. “I know for a fact, having been there for 20 years, that if you [separate] us from our independence, if you take away the way we like taking risks and inventing new stuff, well it’s not going to be the same Ubisoft–for me, it wouldn’t be the same.
“I know what made us so successful for 30 years, is being super independent, being very autonomous.”
She goes on to say the company’s independence allows it to take chances and create diverse experiences. “Sometimes we take a lot of risks, you think about The Crew, that was a risk. People would look at that like, ‘Maybe it’s not going to work, another racing game, what are you thinking?’ Child of Light, Valiant Hearts, all those kinds of titles.”
The possible takeover has been rumbling on for a while now, with Vivendi repeatedly buying up more stock. Ubisoft, which up to this point has always been a family-run company, has attempted to safeguard its independence by buying back more shares and appointing independent directors.
Ubisoft’s CEO, Yves Guillemot, has said he would not continue to be CEO under a Vivendi-owned Ubisoft.
In lighter news, Ubisoft has revealed its 30 Days of Giveaways event, in celebration of both Christmas and its own 30th birthday. Check out the details, including the first free game on offer, here.