Ubisoft requests trading halt as half-year results are pushed back

Ubisoft has delayed the publication of its first-half results and requested a temporary suspension of trading in its shares and bonds, the French video game publisher said on Thursday night.

The halt — which applies to Ubisoft’s ordinary shares, corporate bonds and two series of convertible bonds — came into effect when markets opened on Friday and will remain in place until Ubisoft releases the postponed figures “in the coming days,” the company said in a statement on Euronext. It will inform the market once trading is set to resume.

Ubisoft’s chief financial officer Frederick Duguet told employees in an internal memo that the halt was intended to “limit unnecessary speculation and market volatility during this short delay” as the group took extra time to finalise the closing of the semester, Reuters reported.

Headquartered in Saint-Mandé, Ubisoft is best known for franchises including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Just Dance and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.

Ubisoft is also reshaping its operations. In July, the company said it would reorganise its studios under new “creative houses,” a structure aimed at simplifying how its major franchises are managed.

Earlier this year, Ubisoft also created Vantage Studios, a €4 billion subsidiary that will develop and manage the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six series.

Chinese technology multinational Tencent acquired a 25% stake for €1.16bn, though Ubisoft will retain exclusive control of the new unit.

Ubisoft’s shares have fallen 49% since the start of the year amid uneven sales performance and organisational change.

The company’s most recent full-year results showed net bookings down 20.5% to €1.85 billion in fiscal year running from 2024 to 2025, although the group generated positive free cash flow and continued to reduce its fixed cost base.

Management said at the time that Ubisoft was entering a “new chapter” focused on streamlining its portfolio and reshaping its operating model.

More recent trading data shows mixed momentum. First-quarter net bookings fell 2.9% to €281.6 million, with softer results from Rainbow Six Siege.

By contrast, Assassin’s Creed Shadows reached more than five million players since launch, and back-catalog bookings rose 4% year-on-year on continued engagement in titles such as The Division 2 and Star Wars Outlaws.

Ubisoft declined to comment due to its quiet period.