By Wout Vergauwen
(Reuters) - A slide in Ubisoft's (PA:UBIP) shares on Wednesday has revived talk of a takeover by media giant Vivendi (PA:VIV), worrying the video game company's founding Guillemot family which has so far rejected any possibility of such a deal.
The maker of the Assassin's Creed and South Park video game series fears poor results could weaken its defence strategy and make it easier for Vivendi to persuade investors to back a takeover, a source close to the company said.
"We are well aware that Bollore has been waiting for a stumbling block to step in," the source said, referring to Vivendi's billionaire chairman Vincent Bollore.
Vivendi first bought a stake in Ubisoft in 2015 and raised it in 2016, prompting the Guillemot family to court Canadian investors to fend off any hostile approach. By the end of last year Vivendi had boosted its holding to 25 percent.
Ubisoft shares fell as much as 7.9 percent on Wednesday, after the French company cut its mid-term sales forecasts. The company also said it still considered the best way to create value was to remain independent.
Ubisoft shares were down 2.7 percent at 47.4 euros (£40.6) as at 1200 GMT.
Another person familiar with the situation said on Wednesday that the drop in price was probably not enough for Vivendi to make a bid as Ubisoft shares were still up 40 percent since the start of the year, partly on expectations of a Vivendi approach.
The source also dismissed the likelihood of any merger approach in the near term, saying it was still "early days".
Kepler Cheuvreux analyst Charles-Louis Scotti said time was on Vivendi's side. He said if Ubisoft does meet it's full-year targets, Vivendi's investment would produce a very positive return. But if Ubisoft falls short, it would end up being a cheaper acquisition for Bollore's media giant.
"The ideal window of opportunity for a transaction on Ubisoft is later on this year, or early next year," Bryan, Garnier & Co analyst Richard-Maxime Beaudoux said, also adding that time was on Vivendi's side in its pursuit of Ubisoft.