Ubisoft investor wants to dethrone Ubisoft’s founders so Ubisoft can lay more developers off

Tencent and the Guillemots are holding shareholders “hostage”

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Ubisoft

Commence Star Wars rolling prologue screen: A minority Ubisoft investor has written an open letter to Ubisoft’s board outlining their “deep dissatisfaction with the current performance and strategic direction of the company” and threatening a full-blown coup against the Guillemot brothers, Ubisoft’s founders, and their backers at Chinese juggernaut Tencent.

In the letter (via GamesIndustry.biz ) Juraj Krupa of Sloakian hedgefund AJ Investments and Partners cites the delaying of future instalments of Rainbow Six: Siege and The Division together with a lowered revenue outlook for Q2 2024 as cause for shareholder upset, noting that Ubisoft’s share price has fallen by over 40% since last year. Accordingly, Krupa wants the board to “take Ubisoft private or allow it to sell to strategic investor”, who will “get new air into” Ubisoft’s videogames by, amongst other things, carrying out a bunch of layoffs. They’re giving the board 60 days to reply.

AJ Investments are even now talking to other shareholders with a view to overthrowing the Guillemots. They’re going to “use the French minority law to collect enough shareholders to start a proxy fight and initiate SALE PROCESS of Ubisoft to increase shareholder value for all shareholders”. In particular, Krupa is calling for long-term CEO Yves Guillemot to be given the boot.

“The main reason why the valuation is so low compared to the peers is that Ubisoft at current state is mismanaged and shareholders are hostages of Guillemot family members and Tencent who take advantage of them,” the letter reads. “Management is focused on pleasing investors with beating quarterly results and not focusing on long-term strategy to provide exceptional experience for the gamers.”

AJ Investments appear to be new kids on the block as Ubisoft minority shareholders. According to Krupa, “we started our Ubisoft position couple weeks ago and are still adding to it”. They do, however, boast of their “extensive knowledge about the gaming industry” after being a “long-term shareholder in Activision Blizzard”.

“We cannot understand the decision-making process of current management that is focused on releasing multiple average games per year that are harming Ubisoft’s reputation among gamers community instead of focusing to provide hit games within its exceptional franchise portfolio,” Krupa’s letter continues. There follows a breakdown of Ubisoft’s handling of their games which, frankly, reads like a frothing forum post full of gamer punditry:

“Division Heartland which was very much expected game from the gamers was cancelled. Skull and Bones release was not a success, Prince of Persia Lost Crown was okay but not very impressive as nobody talks about the game anymore. Rainbow Siege is doing great, nevertheless franchises such Rayman, Splinter Cell , For Honor , Watch Dogs are sleeping for years despite these games are loved by millions of players all around the world. Latest release of Star Wars Outlaws is expected to bring good numbers, but recent reviews shows that game was not 100% ready to release, despite the fact that whole world was waiting for open-world game under the Star Wars franchise. The Metacritic rating was 76% and IGN has 7/10 rating, which is quite good rating in our view.”

Krupa, you debonair chancer, you Machiavellian oaf! Forget going toe to toe with the Guillemot dynasty - describing 7/10 as a “quite good rating” is how wars get started. Also, you forgot to mention Beyond Good & Evil 2 .

There are some spicier assertions in the paragraph below. Krupa thinks that Tencent and the Guillemot brothers’ holding company are essentially in cahoots to stop Ubisoft being acquired by private equity firms such as KKR and Blackstone - with Tencent buying shares in the Guillemot holding company in 2022, and the Guillemots then buying up more Ubisoft shares “to prevent any future acquisition or takeovers that would make Ubisoft operations more effective and agile against its competitors.”

AJ Investments believe that Tencent and the Guillemot family are keeping the share price low so that they can scoop up shares on the cheap and eventually take full control of Ubisoft. While he doesn’t say that it’s a deliberate part of this strategy, Krupa suggests that delaying games is “beneficial” for Tencent and the Guillemots on this count.

Hence, AJ Investments’ desire to start a shareholder rebellion. Krupa asserts that minority shareholders “own roughly 70% of the company”, versus the roughly 25% of shares owned by the Guillemots and Tencent, and as such “based on our talks with other shareholders, we believe that we have enough voting power to challenge Guillemot’s”. So what would such a takeover and change of leadership bring about? Well, what does any major company strategic readjustment seem to result in these days? You guessed it, more layoffs!

“The company needs to implement significant cost reductions and staff optimization to improve operational efficiency,” Krupa adds. “We also suggest that Ubisoft should consider selling certain studios that are not needed for development of main IP’s in the portfolio. Ubisoft has over 30 studios, it’s obvious to every investor that this structure is too large for Ubisoft and its profitability going forward.” He acknowledges “the layoffs that Ubisoft has made in the recent years which accounted to approximately of 10% cut of workforce but that is simply not enough.”

Beyond that, AJ Investments want Ubisoft’s current management gone, with the Guillemots continuing in “an advisory capacity” alongside a new, more “efficient” CEO. They also want Ubisoft to go private, because “Ubisoft as a public company is under ongoing scrutiny to report better and better quarterly results to please investors which may harm strategy going forward and is harming Ubisoft at this time, when they need to think long-term to get new air into their exceptional franchises”.

To me, all this is sort of Aliens vs Predator, except that the Alien and the Predator are cool movie monsters, rather than angry suits fighting for the biggest chunk of a billion dollar company. Best of luck to any Ubisoft developers worrying about the potential fallout.

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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