Assassin's Creed could save Ubisoft from EA's maw
by Justin McElroy 
{ Dec 18th 2007 at 12:45PM }
In an inspiring story that's sure to be adapted into a Disney animated film (featuring the voices of Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake and Robin Williams as the side-splitting "Ubi"), the sales of Assassin's Creed (at 2.5 million last week) may have been enough to save Ubisoft from EA's clutches.
Financial Times reports that strong sales of the game has helped Ubisoft increase its value to approximately $4.3 billion, meaning that it may just be too expensive of a pickup for EA at the moment. Of course, with the threat of Activision Blizzard looming, who knows how far EA will go to keep its market share?
[Via Gi.biz]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
squeevi @ Dec 18th 2007 12:50PM
awwww, that is a touching story.
pantera6 @ Dec 18th 2007 12:54PM
EA or UBI?
Hitler or Stalin?
potato or potata?
mr nimblewick @ Dec 18th 2007 12:58PM
Ubi, Stalin, and Potato for me.
NATO_Duke @ Dec 18th 2007 12:58PM
You really would compare Ubi with EA? I personally like Ubi and hope they hold out and don't let EA get total control.
ThornedVenom @ Dec 18th 2007 4:45PM
You surely meant EA or Activision.
mr nimblewick @ Dec 18th 2007 12:54PM
It's nice when developers get rewarded for taking chances...
And then use their new money to make Beyond Good and Evil 2.
StrangeBum @ Dec 18th 2007 4:05PM
Thank god (or other religious figure) that somebody else wants a sequel to one of the most highly underappreciated games of all time from the last gen.
Beyond Good and Evil deserved so much better!! Actually a lot of games from the last gen went by unnoticed and deserve to be brought back around. Indigo Prophecy and Psychonauts for a few examples (and I'm hoping XBL sales will help boost these guys into making more)!
Stupidiot @ Dec 18th 2007 1:04PM
So is this merger gonna be called Eaubisoft then?
dan stabbingworth @ Dec 18th 2007 1:15PM
Would that be ewwwwbifosft?
Fanboy @ Dec 18th 2007 1:08PM
Too bad it couldn't save me from boredom
Noshino @ Dec 18th 2007 1:17PM
Too bad, you are only one out of the 2.5 million
zuburi @ Dec 18th 2007 2:07PM
Make it two!
Fanboy @ Dec 18th 2007 5:50PM
@ Noshino
Yea, I'm sure that out of 2.5 million ppl playing it I'm the single only person to ever think it. My god did you play the game all the way through. from hour 3 - 10 its the same exact thing over and over again. It's very monotonous and boring to me
XanthouS @ Dec 18th 2007 1:09PM
This is the single best gaming-related news story I've read in a long time.
Keep fighting the good fight Ubi. We need someone out there to compete with EA, and the monstrosity ActiBlizzard is becoming (see Rock Band PS3 guitar fiasco).
FidliousWong @ Dec 18th 2007 2:25PM
You know, before we start clapping about how Ubisoft is all sunshine and puppies... look at their Wii and DS efforts. I mean, granted Ubi puts out some fairly unique titles (and thankfully someone FINALLY used the genetic memory theory in a scifi story), but they deal in a fair amount of pure shit too.
Jake @ Dec 18th 2007 1:14PM
It is funny how we fear a unified console due to lack of competition. Yet, less publishers is more dangerous as games compete for our dollars with more innovation and differentiation than the conosles do. There really isn't much different between the PS3 and 360 when it comes down to it. The Wii is certainly different, but that system is not geared towards gamers.
Fernando Rocker @ Dec 18th 2007 1:18PM
"There really isn't much different between the PS3 and 360"
Just better price, better exclusives games, better and more stable multiplatforms games, better online, better download content... but thats it.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 18th 2007 1:39PM
I think he meant in terms of hardware, Fernando.
JerJerBinks @ Dec 18th 2007 1:42PM
I vote we all chip in and get Fernando a prostitute for the holidays. With comments like these, all the pent up anger and hostility, he most certainly needs to get laid.
Noshino @ Dec 18th 2007 2:18PM
"Just better price"
You mean cheaper right? because a better price is also when you are getting more than what you are paying for, in which case, we both know how it goes, right Fernando?
"better exclusives games"
You can't really tell which games is better from which, unless, well, you want to force your opinion on other people, like how I can find Uncharted more fun the Gears...
"better and more stable multiplatforms games"
first, "stable"...hahahaha, well, stable games on unstable console...
anyway, yes, the 360 has many good multiplatform games, but hey, the multiplatform games that were developed on the PS3 are JUST starting to come, so how could you judge beforehand?
"better online"
better online interface, yes, better online service, IMHO no, I prefer having dedicated servers over p2p any day.
"better download content..."
I ll just give you this one, too much to write about this matter.... =/
Poisoned Al @ Dec 18th 2007 2:23PM
tl;dr
mr nimblewick @ Dec 18th 2007 2:24PM
Calm down Noshino, you aren't convincing anybody of anything.
Noshino @ Dec 18th 2007 2:27PM
sigh, mr nimblewick, this is a blog, not a political campaing....
FidliousWong @ Dec 18th 2007 2:28PM
I'd agree with you JarJar except yesterday was International Quit Slapping Dem Hoes day. And with all his rage, I'd hate to see what he does to an anonymous female we paid for sex for him from....
Whatever would happen, I'm certain we can draw parallels from American Psycho.
Noshino @ Dec 18th 2007 2:40PM
"I'd agree with you JarJar except yesterday was International Quit Slapping Dem Hoes day. And with all his rage, I'd hate to see what he does to an anonymous female we paid for sex for him from...."
...I would even be more scared, what if she happens to be a Sony fan?...
People should just add their console preference on their resumes to avoid later confrontations...
Sam406 @ Dec 18th 2007 3:00PM
"...except yesterday was International Quit Slapping Dem Hoes day..."
Awww man, you should have told me ...
Cyro @ Dec 18th 2007 1:15PM
They deserve it. Assasin's Creed is awsome.
JodyAnthony (Good Eats Defense Force) @ Dec 18th 2007 1:27PM
agreed
WiNG @ Dec 18th 2007 1:35PM
Ubisoft can you please just remake Pandora Tomorrow, with the same multiplayer? In fact, just scratch the single player.
Bluebrake @ Dec 18th 2007 1:40PM
Didn't EA just finish a couple disastrous quarters? Massive layoffs, studio closures, all that? Were they really in a position to be buying another large publisher to begin with?
3cubed minus 3squared plus1 @ Dec 18th 2007 1:41PM
I still need to buy this game.
I'm kind of hoping for a sale though.
Lucky @ Dec 18th 2007 1:58PM
Wait? EB wants to assimulate Ubi now? Better do my part!
*Goes out to buy every Ubisoft game I've put off getting.*
Zootittles @ Dec 18th 2007 1:58PM
What strange times we live in where Ubisoft is considered the little guy.
That said, go Ubisoft!
Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 18th 2007 2:05PM
(featuring the voices of Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake and Robin Williams as the side-splitting "Ubi")
LOOOOOL
Man, they should add heart meters for the blog posts themselves too so I could [+] this one.
Jeff @ Dec 18th 2007 2:32PM
That's actually a damn good idea. It'd need to be out of a shitload more hearts though, like when you're actually almost done beating Zelda.
Mutant @ Dec 18th 2007 5:46PM
It looks like Jade saved Ubisoft single handedly.
Greyseal @ Dec 18th 2007 6:35PM
Ummm... what's with all the "good job Ubi" crap?
They don't have to sell their company if they don't want to, regardless of how much EA offers. Even before Assasin's Creed sold a bajillion copies, they could have stood their ground and said "no, we'd rather not be swallowed by a soulless corporate machine."
So let's stop pretending that it's all about the games over at Ubi. Their motivations are exactly the same as EA's, just on a smaller scale. And should they one day find themselves successful enough, they won't be any different at all.
Ibere @ Dec 19th 2007 8:20AM
"They don't have to sell their company if they don't want to, regardless of how much EA offers."
In fact, they have... it's called hostile takeover (you can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeover)
Also, you are right about Ubi being not only about the games, but you have to agree they are much better than EA, not because they are smaller, but they are clearly more innovative and they publish a lot more excelent games than EA. I'm an Ubi fan... they are the only big publisher really offering us something different.