Ubisoft actually pulled it off

Vivendi has had its eyes on Ubisoft for years now, buying more and more shares, but that takeover-in-the-making story comes to a close today -- and not in the way many of us were expecting.

Ubisoft and Vivendi have reached an exit agreement that will see Vivendi selling its entire 27.3% stake in the publisher. It has also committed to not acquiring any shares in Ubisoft over the next five years.

Vivendi is selling 30,489,300 shares at 66 euros per share. "The transaction includes an investment by two new long-term investors, the Relationship Investing arm of Ontario Teachers' Public Equities division [3.4% of capital], and Tencent [5.0%], a share buy-back by Ubisoft [8.1%], an acquisition of shares by Guillemot Brothers SE, and an Accelerated Bookbuilding with institutional investors."

Ubisoft has also entered a "strategic partnership" that will enable Tencent to "operate, publish, and promote several of Ubisoft's most successful titles on PC and mobile in the Chinese market."

"Today, Ubisoft is fully reaping the benefits of our long-term strategy and the successful transformation towards a more recurring and profitable business," said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. "Ubisoft is perfectly positioned to capture the numerous video game growth drivers in the coming years."