EA Acquires 20% of Ubisoft
World's biggest publisher buys significantly into Euro superpublisher, making it the second largest shareholder.
The next time you pick up a Splinter Cell or Prince Of Persia game the familiar Ubisoft logo might be replaced by an EA logo, or at least it will be if EA carries on the aggressive moves it made earlier this week.
EA snapped up nearly 20 per cent of Ubisoft, making it the second biggest holder of voting rights - just behind Ubisoft founders, the Guillemot family.
This is the second big move by EA in as many weeks. Last week, the company secured all rights to the NFL American football license for the next five years, out-manoeuvring several of its competitors.
The deal is not complete yet, though, as governments in both the US and Europe still need to examine the implications of the deal for customers.
With the next generation of videogame hardware set for release in 2005 and 2006, many see this as EA's strategy for ensuring that it continues the dominance over the videogame market the company has enjoyed over the last few years.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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