From its founding in 1986, French video game maker Ubisoft has grown into a giant of the sector with operations in 20 countries and an uber popular franchise, "Assassin's Creed".

But the firm has struggled as of late, making it a prime takeover candidate by global entertainment companies.

Here is a look at Ubisoft over the years:

Ubisoft's story began on the rainy Brittany peninsula in France's northwest, with five brothers born into a family trading in agricultural machines.

The Guillemot brothers opened a company re-selling imported video games in 1986, but quickly pivoted to developing their own games under the name Ubisoft.

Over the following decades, the minnow swelled into one of the biggest independent studios anywhere in the world, with 2.3 billion euros ($2.4 billion) in revenue in its 2023-24 financial year.

Ubisoft's first developer studios were opened in France and Romania in 1994-95, coinciding with the release of one of its biggest games, "Rayman".

The platformer, whose protagonist's hands and feet float at the ends of invisible arms and legs, sells millions of copies to become one of the most-played French games worldwide.

Ubisoft's portfolio expanded hugely over the years to........

© International Business Times