In 2004, EA shook up the industry by buying nearly 20% of Ubisoft shares, sparking speculation it was attempting a hostile takeover, but Ubisoft accelerated its expansion plans and claimed it had the means to remain independent. Now Wall Street Journal reports that a Ubisoft spokesman said EA was selling an unspecified stake in the French company, while another source close to Ubisoft said EA had given investment bank UBS a mandate to sell the entire stake.