French Conglomerate Vivendi May Attempt Ubisoft Acquisition

French media conglomerate Vivendi may look to acquire developer Ubisoft this year, possibly through a hostile takeover, Reuters reported. Vivendi has been acquiring shares of the French video game developer for several years. In December, Vivendi confirmed it had obtained a 25 percent stake in Ubisoft and, as GamesIndustry noted, the company would be required to make a formal purchase bid for Ubisoft if its ownership stake surpasses 30 percent. Vivendi has publicly denied it wants to acquire Ubisoft. In a statement last year, the company said it hoped to work alongside Ubisoft and was "not considering the launch of a public tender nor acquiring the control of the company."