Last week, game publisher Ubisoft delayed its financial results, which prompted strong rumors that Tencent would acquire the company. The quarterly and half-year FY 2026 results are now available, and while Ubisoft did strike a deal with Tencent, it is not for a complete acquisition of the company. The Chinese corporation has instead provided a significant cash infusion to become a minority stakeholder of Vantage Studios.
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Yves Guillemot said in a statement:
The closing of our strategic transaction with Tencent – which will see Tencent become a minority shareholder in our new subsidiary, Vantage Studios – is now imminent, as all conditions precedent have been satisfied. This marks a pivotal milestone in Ubisoft’s transformation, significantly strengthening our financial position by bringing in €1.16 billion of cash, enabling the Group to deleverage, as planned. It will also empower Vantage Studios to accelerate the growth of our three flagship IPs under a dedicated leadership team.
Vantage Studios was formally announced on October 1. It's a new subsidiary focused entirely on the growth of Ubisoft's three biggest franchises: Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry. According to Guillemot, the 'design' of Vantage Studios is expected to be finalized by the end of 2025. The full details of the new operative model will be outlined in January 2026.
Overall, it was a solid quarter and half-year for the publisher, which reported net bookings of €491 million this quarter (+39% year-over-year) and €772 million for the semester (+20% year-over-year), exceeding guidance. Ubisoft attributes these results to 'stronger-than-expected partnerships', including a meaningful contribution from live TV and animated series. Speaking of the latter, Ubisoft noted that Netflix's Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch debuted last month to critical acclaim, and its success also strengthens the position of the upcoming Splinter Cell remake.
Despite reports that Assassin's Creed Shadows wasn't selling that great, Ubisoft said the franchise as a whole overperformed in its Q2, largely thanks to Shadows, which saw a player boost from the Claws of Awaji expansion and the New Game+ update. Overall, in the year-to-date, Assassin's Creed has generated 211 million session days, roughly 35% higher than the average of the last two years.
Rainbow Six did not fare as well, and Ubisoft claims this is due to a temporary surge in cheating that impacted activity and player spending versus expectations. The publisher said the team now has additional resources and further hires planned to deal with cheating through a 'robust plan'.
Finally, The Division 2 continued to benefit from the momentum of the Battle for Brooklyn DLC release in May, as well as the regular content updates released by Massive. This combination has helped attract new players to the game. Alongside rising player numbers, engagement has increased, with a record Q2 in terms of 'Session Days' since FY2020-21. The game's performance this semester has already exceeded last year's annual net bookings.
On Massive's front, Ubisoft said Star Wars Outlaws was well received on the Nintendo Switch 2, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora posted a 'strong performance' this quarter in anticipation of the announced From the Ashes expansion and third-person update that will be released soon, just ahead of the new movie, Fire and Ash.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
