Minority Shareholder Accuses Ubisoft Of Not Communicating "Appropriately," Plans Protest Outside HQ

Assassin's Creed delays, poor but "in-line" financial performances, panels being brought in to evaluate options, and project cancellations resulting in layoffs and closures. It's been a wild ride on the Ubisoft front for months now and we're still not quite sure where things are going to actually end. There's been multiple calls already for the company to sell off certain IPs or even take the company private with maybe some leadership changes.

Now there's more drama. This time, it's coming from actual stakeholders. Before we get there, it's important to recognize that shareholder views and gamer views often do not overlap. Gamers just want good games. Shareholders want money, and a lot of it. While it may be amusing to see shareholders being mad at a gaming company you may be mad at, it usually isn't because you and the shareholders hold the same desired outcome. Just important to note.

According to a statement from minority stakeholder Juraj Krúpa, CEO of AJ Investments, Ubisoft is "mismanaged" and shareholders should be given a "clear roadmap" for recovery. IGN is reporting they have seen the statement. Krúpa claims that Ubisoft is also withholding information that investors should be given including information from conversations regarding IP sales with Microsoft and other companies that Ubisoft is alleged to have held.

Ubisoft, responding to IGN's inquiries, said, "As we mentioned during our Q3 sales, the review of various transformational strategic and capitalistic options is ongoing. The Board has established an ad-hoc independent Committee to oversee this formal and competitive process, so as to extract the best value from Ubisoft’s assets and franchises for all stakeholders. Ubisoft will inform the market in accordance with applicable regulations if and once a transaction materializes.”

Due to the mismanagement and communication challenges, Krúpa is calling for like-minded investors to protest outside the company's headquarters in May. Why May? “We are aware that Ubisoft’s management and CEO have initiated a financial review of potential strategic options, advised by Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. We expect this review to yield results in the coming months,” said Krúpa. That review could lead to the protest being called off and May gives the company time to rectify the situation ahead of time.

Krúpa even claims they are willing to "sue the company for misleading investors" if need be.