Vivendi reassures Gameloft staff as it closes in on remaining shares

Vivendi has written to Gameloft employees to reassure them that the company’s innovative spirit will be in safe hands under the media giant’s ownership.

The move follows Vivendi’s acquisition of a majority of Gameloft shares as a result of its hostile takeover of the gaming company.

“You will join shortly an international content and media group where creativity is the heart of its organisation and its activities. We are very pleased to welcome you and to pool your talents with ours, so that together, we will be a stronger presence on the worldwide entertainment market,” Vivendi CEO Arnaud de Puyfontaine and chief operating officer Stéphane Roussel told Gameloft staff.

They went to state that the jointing of the two companies offered “opportunities for cooperation in many areas: the co-creation of content, the development of new franchises, the building of wider communities and audiences and the pooling of our distribution networks, among other examples”.

The pair reassured Gameloft employees that it had previously shown it had expertise in supporting talent, citing the example of its acquisition of EMI Recorded Music.

They highlighted Vivendi’s existing initatives in the mobile space, which is Gameloft’s principal area of focus. The executives cited the example of Vivendi’s planned launch of Studio+, the global premium video offering centred on content designed specifically for mobile screens.

“We have much to gain from close collaboration with Gameloft’s teams and all its partners. You will take part in a great collective adventure as Vivendi pursues its ambitious redeployment in content and media. This plan will rely above all on your talents and creative freedom,” the pair told Gameloft staff.

Vivendi has revealed that as a result of its public offer for Gameloft shares, it now holds 61.71% of the company’s shares and 55.61% of its voting rights. It said it would reopen its tender at €8 a share to secure the shares it did not already own.

The media group said that based on the results of the second phase of its offer, it would appoint a majority of the Gameloft board at the gaming company’s annual general meeting at the end of June.