Ubisoft's New Financial Schemes and Another Scandal with Assassin's Creed Shadows

Ubisoft is currently considering the establishment of a new company aimed at attracting investors by focusing on selling key franchises like Assassin's Creed. According to Bloomberg, the company is planning to offer a stake in this new venture and has initiated discussions with potential investors, including Tencent, alongside various international and French funds. The anticipated market value of this new entity is projected to surpass Ubisoft's present market capitalization of $1.8 billion.

However, the process remains in the discussion phase, and Ubisoft has yet to finalize any decisions. The success of this potential venture heavily depends on the performance of the upcoming release, Assassin's Creed Shadows, which Ubisoft is highly optimistic about. The company has reported that pre-orders for the game are steadily progressing.

Amidst these developments, Ubisoft is facing another controversy in Japan. Takeshi Nagase, a member of both the Kobe City Council and the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly, has voiced his disapproval of the game's depiction of religious themes. He finds it objectionable that the protagonist in Assassin's Creed Shadows can engage in combat with monks in temples or target such sacred spaces with arrows. Furthermore, Nagase is critical of the portrayal of the renowned Engyō-ji temple in Himeji, where the character Yasuke is shown entering with dirty shoes and damaging a sacred mirror within the temple.