For some time it has been clear that all is not well at Ubisoft. The past several years have been a tumultuous one for the company, between games not meeting company sales expectations, studio closures, downsizing elsewhere, and sexual misconduct issues.
But now it seems there is something else going on at the publisher. Just before speaking with investors on Thursday, Ubisoft said it was delaying its half-yearly earnings report and halting trading of its shares. It has asked Euronext – the European stock exchange on which its shares are listed – to halt trading from November 14 until it publishes its earnings results “in the coming days”.
This could mean many things. Other companies have delayed earnings reports due to things like accounting issues. But stopping the trading of the company’s shares can lead to big news like sale or Ubisoft becoming a private entity again. Engadget has contacted Ubisoft for comment.
It was reported late last year that Ubisoft’s founders were looking to privatize the company with the help of Tencent. That hasn’t happened yet, but Ubisoft (with the help of Tencent investment) created a new subsidiary called Vantage Studios this year. He is now overseeing three of Ubisoft’s most important franchises – Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six.