• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax was designed to hit the wealthy, but it’s sending most New Yorkers to their estate lawyers

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax was designed to hit the wealthy, but it’s sending most New Yorkers to their estate lawyers
TechVideo Games

Vivendi’s Fight For Gameloft Goes Hostile

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 19, 2016, 5:00 PM ET
Courtesy: Gameloft
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Vivendi’s quest to return to the video game sector, which was pretty ugly to begin with, is getting even more unsightly.

The French media conglomerate has launched a hostile takeover bid for mobile game company Gameloft (GLOFF), making a blanket offer of €6 ($6.67) per all outstanding shares. The move comes after Vivendi (VIVEF) once again increased its ownership stake in the company, this time to 30%.

According to French law, once a buyer owns more than 30% of a company’s shares, they must make an attempt to purchase a controlling stake for a reasonable price. Investors can reject that, of course, but the €6 offer is a 50.4% premium over the stock’s value on Oct. 14, 2015 – when Vivendi first bought shares.

Gameloft, which says it learned of the offer when its trading of its shares were halted, classified the bid as hostile and issued a brief statement.

“A meeting of the Board of Directors has been convened for next week,” it wrote. “The company will publish a statement after the meeting of the Board. Until then no further comments will be made regarding this unsolicited bid.”

Beyond the fate of Gameloft itself, the bid raises questions about what Vivendi’s intentions are regarding Ubisoft. Last October, the company surprised both companies by purchasing ownership stakes of more than 6% in each company. Two weeks later, it increased its position in Ubisoft to 10.39% and in Gameloft to 10.2%.

At present, Vivendi owns a nearly 15% stake in Ubisoft – significantly more than CEO Yves Guillemot and his family, whose ownership stake is roughly 9%, according to the Financial Times.

Both Gameloft and Ubisoft were founded by the Guillemot brothers. And both companies at the time said they, frankly, would rather be left alone. Ubisoft publicly declared that Vivendi’s involvement was unsolicited and, as described it in an internal email, “unwelcome“.

Since Vivendi has bought into the company, Ubisoft has attempted to better position itself to fend off a takeover attempt. During an investors meeting this week, Ubisoft said it planned to triple its operating income over the next three years – an unusual projection for a company that tends to only publicly forecast for the coming 12 months.

Share prices were up 22% this week but are still below their three-month highs.

Vivendi sold its 85% stake in Activision-Blizzard in July 2013 for over $8 billion, saying at the time it wanted to focus on the TV and movie side of its business.

But the video game world has changed substantially since Vivendi bowed out. Several publishers, including Ubisoft, have partnered to create theme parks or theme park attractions based on their IP. Mobile gaming companies, such as Gameloft, are booming. And there’s increased interest from Hollywood in creating film and television shows spinning off of games. (Ubisoft itself will release an Assassin’s Creed feature film this December.)

As a multimedia company, that seems to be of interest to Vivendi – especially since it eluded them with their last game company holding.

“This proposed acquisition would create value for both companies,” the company said in a statement announcing the Gameloft offer. “Vivendi and Gameloft share many commonalities, including French roots, an international dimension and a similar understanding of cultural diversity to meet the expectations of consumers in each country.”

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

saunders
Commentarydisruption
Bausch & Lomb CEO: the AI hysteria is nothing new
By Brent SaundersJuly 31, 2026
59 minutes ago
ronnen
SuccessBook Excerpt
The competition passed on a flying toy. We built it into $100 million dollar business
By Ronnen HararyJuly 31, 2026
1 hour ago
Sports teams have gone from trophies to trillion-dollar investment targets
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Sports teams have gone from trophies to trillion-dollar investment targets
By Allie GarfinkleJuly 31, 2026
2 hours ago
Apple CEO Tim Cook on June 08, 2026 in Cupertino, California. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Tim Cook takes his final earnings call as Apple feels the supply pain
By Andrew NuscaJuly 31, 2026
2 hours ago
Ferrari’s Jony Ive-designed model was mocked by the internet, but it’s selling like hotcakes
InnovationFerrari
Ferrari’s Jony Ive-designed model was mocked by the internet, but it’s selling like hotcakes
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 31, 2026
4 hours ago
This Dutch bookseller thought a request for 3,000 copies was ‘spam or phishing.’ Instead, AI companies are scanning and destroying books to train AI
AIData
This Dutch bookseller thought a request for 3,000 copies was ‘spam or phishing.’ Instead, AI companies are scanning and destroying books to train AI
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
2 days ago
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
Retail
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
By Sydney LakeJuly 29, 2026
2 days ago
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax was designed to hit the wealthy, but it’s sending most New Yorkers to their estate lawyers
Real Estate
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax was designed to hit the wealthy, but it’s sending most New Yorkers to their estate lawyers
By Catherina GioinoJuly 30, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 30, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 30, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 30, 2026
1 day ago
'Am I paying for the vibes?' Gen Z says it hates capitalism, but their spending patterns show they just don't like being ripped off
Retail
'Am I paying for the vibes?' Gen Z says it hates capitalism, but their spending patterns show they just don't like being ripped off
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 30, 2026
1 day ago
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘hundred year flood’ in memory chip pricing
Big Tech
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘hundred year flood’ in memory chip pricing
By Alexei OreskovicJuly 30, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.