Vivendi Raises Stake In Video Game Maker Ubisoft

(RTTNews) - French media and music company Vivendi SA (VIVEF.PK) has increased its stake in French video game maker Ubisoft to over 20 percent, thus adding pressure on the maker of Assasins Creed series to allow Vivendi to be on the board.

Vivendi has boosted its stake in Ubisoft to 20.1% from 17.7% and also noted that it will continue to buy more. However, Vivendi said it will not try a hostile take over of the company in the next six months. Vivendi now also holds 17.76 percent of Ubisoft's voting rights.

"Vivendi continues to hope for the establishment of a fruitful collaboration with Ubisoft," the company said in the statement.

Ubisoft, which is led by founder and Chief Executive Yves Guillemot, is seeking other investors who would help them thwart the looming threat of a hostile takeover attempt from Vivendi. The Guillemot family owns about 9 percent of Ubisoft.

Vivendi, the French media company led by billionaire Vincent Bolloré, had earlier this month taken control over mobile video games maker Gameloft, another Guillemot brothers-run gaming company, through an unsolicited bid.

Guillemot and his four brothers started Ubisoft in France's Brittany region and own a minority stake, expanding it more than 30 years to become one of the world's top five video game publishers.