Assassin's Creed boss confirms he was forced out by Ubisoft

The former boss of the Assassin's Creed franchise has revealed that Ubisoft forced him out of his position, and he didn't leave voluntarily.

Assassin's Creed boss confirms he was forced out by Ubisoft
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Tech and Science Editor
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TL;DR: Former Assassin's Creed boss Marc-Alexis Côté revealed Ubisoft asked him to step down, transferring franchise leadership to Vantage Studios. Despite the unexpected change, Côté expressed no resentment and remains grateful for his team's work and the impact they made on the iconic gaming series.

The former boss of the Assassin's Creed franchise has revealed that he didn't leave his position voluntarily, he was asked to step down by Ubisoft.

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Marc-Alexis Côté, the former boss of the Assassin's Creed franchise announced his departure from the company on October 15, only seven months after the release of series' latest installment Assassin's Creed Shadow. Ubisoft stated that it was "deeply grateful" for the contribution Marc-Alexis Côté had on the AC franchise, and was "saddened to see him go," resulting in many that read the announcement to believe that Marc-Alexis Côté chose to depart from his position, but really it was Ubisoft that made that request.

In a LinkedIn post, Marc-Alexis Côté wrote, "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."

Marc-Alexis Côté went on to explain that Ubisoft transferred the leadership of the Assassin's Creed franchise over to "someone closer to its new organizational structure," and that he was offered a "different position," but it didn't "carry the same scope, mandate, or continuity with the work I had been entrusted with in recent years." For those who don't know, the AC franchise is now in the hands of Vantage Studios, the Tencent-backed subsidiary that has 35-year Ubisoft veteran Christophe Derennes at its helm, alongside the son of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.

Despite being told he was being removed from his position at the head of the AC franchise, Côt&eacute says that he doesn't hold any "resentment" toward Ubisoft, and he'll "always be grateful for the people, the projects, and the belief that together we could create worlds that inspire millions."

"But 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," he wrote. "As someone who grew up inspired by Star Trek (TNG!), in the later years of my career I came to see myself as the captain of the Assassin's Creed ship, someone who leaves only once every soul on board is safe. And that is exactly what I have done for as long as I could."