Vivendi getting back into gaming with reported Gameloft buy

OREANDA-NEWS. June 09, 2016. That gaming glint is back in Vivendi's eye.

The European media giant is buying Gameloft, according to a report Tuesday in The Wall Street Journal. Gameloft publishes some of the most popular mobile games you'll find on phones and tablets, including titles such as Modern Combat and Asphalt Overdrive, as well as licensed properties from Disney.

Both companies are based in France, and the buyout is just one part of the labyrinthine intrigue surrounding Vivendi's gaming ambitions. In 2013, the company sold off its majority interest in gaming giant Activision Blizzard, but it has since begun accumulating shares in Ubisoft -- one of gaming's other 800-pound gorillas, the France-based developer and publisher of popular titles in the Far Cry, Assassin's Creed, Just Dance and Tom Clancy series.

The twist: Both Ubisoft and Gameloft are controlled by the Guillemot family, who thus far have not been amenable to Vivendi's advances. "The family maintains that Vivendi's hostile approach goes against the best interest of Gameloft, both for its activity and for its teams," said the family in a statement to the Journal.

Vivendi and Gameloft did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.