Former Assassin’s Creed Boss Says He Did Not Leave Voluntarily – WGB

Just one day after his shock departure, former Assassin’s Creed franchise boss Marc-Alexis Côté has confirmed that he did not want to leave Ubisoft.

Marc-Alexis Côté took the role of executive producer role in 2018. Since then, four mainline Assassin’s Creed games and one VR title have been released. But that came to an end on October 15 when Marc-Alexis Côté suddenly departed Ubisoft, instantly generating speculation that something had occurred behind-the-scenes.

“Many of you have expressed surprise that I would choose to leave Assassin’s Creed after so many years, especially given the passion I still hold for it. The truth is simple: I did not make that choice,” wrote Côté on LinkedIn.

“Ubisoft decided to transfer the leadership of the Assassin’s Creed franchise to someone closer to its new organizational structure. A different position was mentioned, but it did not carry the same scope, mandate, or continuity with the work I had been entrusted with in recent years.”

Côté did say that he has no resentment toward the company and is grateful for his time there, but that “I also owe it to my teams, past and present, to say this plainly: I did not walk away. I stayed at my post until Ubisoft asked me to step aside.”

Côté’s exit is likely linked to the formation of Ubisoft’s new subsidiary company, Vantage Studios, which is partly owned by Chinese giant Tencent. The new company holds the rights to all of Ubisoft’s biggest IP, such as Asssassin’s Creed and Far Cry. Vantage is believed to have officially begun operating recently.