Ubisoft looking at potential Netflix series as Vivendi gains more control

By Gabe Gurwin November 8, 2016

Watch Dogs 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

French game publisher Ubisoft has already entered the world of film production, as well as the traditional television space, but its latest venture may take one of its franchises to Netflix.

Speaking to reporters at a news briefing Monday, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that “Ubisoft was in talks with Netflix over a series,” but stopped short of disclosing what particular game franchise, if any, the publisher had planned to use for the project.

Though the obvious choice would appear to be the Rayman spinoff “Rabbids” series, it already exists as a Nickelodeon program titled Rabbids Invasion.

Several other films based on Ubisoft’s series are already in the works. Assassin’s Creed, starring Oscar winner Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender, hits theaters this October, while adaptations based on Tom Clancy’s The Division, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Watch Dogs, and Far Cry are also in the works.

In the past, Ubisoft has seen its series make their way to the screen, but results have been mixed. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time stands as one of the most profitable video game films of all time, but received a mixed critical response. The first Far Cry film, directed by the infamous Uwe Boll and released in 2008, was also predictably terrible, though original developer Crytek appeared to have been in control of the series’ film rights at this point.

Guillemot’s announcement was made as media giant Vivendi continued its efforts to exert more control over Ubisoft’s board. Vivendi now holds more than 24 percent of the company’s stock and more than 21 percent of its voting rights. Ubisoft has continued to seek investors to block a potential “hostile takeover” of the company — an event that occurred with Gameloft, a company founded by Guillemot’s brother, earlier this year.

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