Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot says Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is “good news”

Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisofthe said he thinks Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard it’s “good news” for what it means for mobile gaming.

Speaking to investors on the company’s latest earnings call, Guillemot was asked what he thought of the Activision Blizzard deal, in relation to his decision not to have Ubisoft acquired by another company (thanks, CVG). “I think it’s good news that the transaction can go through because it really shows the power of IP and where the industry is going,” Guillemot said. “So there will also be many opportunities in the future for all companies.

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“And it’s also showing the value of IPs that can now be on console and PC, but also on mobile, and become more global brands, and when we say global it really is everywhere in the world, and that’s a fantastic opportunity… Microsoft says the mobile part of the Activision deal is important, so all the investments we’re making to be stronger in mobile are also in line with that, so all of those elements will help grow the value of the company.”

Last year, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that the main reason Microsoft looked to acquire Activision Blizzard was for mobile gaming opportunities, something Microsoft hasn’t been successful at so far. This is obviously one reason why groups like the US Federal Trade Commission and the UK Competition and Markets Authority have not been very focused, but more concerned with Call of Duty and, oddly enough, cloud gaming.

Ubisoft has many titles on the way, with Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade being the first game in the long-running series to be a fully open-world experience on mobile. Sign-ups to play Jade are running now, ahead of the game’s closed beta in August.