Raphael Lacoste is ready to take on new challenges after having left the French company behind.
Lacoste has spent sixteen years at Ubisoft Montreal, so he wasn’t a rookie at all. He worked on many games, but he announced on Twitter that he quit Ubisoft: „Good morning all, it is not without emotions I have to tell you that after 8 Assassin’s Creeds [and] 16 years at Ubisoft, I have decided to set sails on new adventures and challenges.
I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart our wonderful community and the incredible talents I’ve had the chance to collaborate with, over these amazing years. Thank you too, Ubisoft, for your trust and the fantastic projects we brought to life together! Bye for now, these years will remain unforgettable. Ubisoft has been a nice home for me for 16 years, and I am very touched about this, the trust they gave me as well as the opportunities, but it was time to do another leap of faith,” Lacoste wrote.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier’s words (also from Twitter) seem to hint that more departures might be revealed shortly: „Ubisoft has an attrition problem. Some of the reasons include money, WFH [work from home], feelings of stagnancy, lots of Canadian studios poaching talent, and of course, the belief that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has not been held accountable for the company’s cultural abuses.”
Why did he say this? The answer is simple: Lacoste’s departure is the third big person quitting the company in recent months. Previously, the narrative director and game director for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Darby McDevitt and Eric Baptizat, respectively, both left the company after being there for over a decade. So there seems to be a trend forming here, and not a good one.
But let’s get back to Lacoste. Where did he go? Well, he has officially confirmed on Twitter where he continues his career: „I’m excited to announce that I’ve joined Haven Studios as Art Director! One of the best experiences of my career was creating [the first] Assassin’s Creed. Being more hands-on with concept art & working with many of the same core team to build a new original IP is inspiring & exciting!” Jade Raymond, who worked as the producer for the first AC game, was essential in laying the foundation of that IP, and she’s leading Haven, so… no wonder Lacoste is excited to meet several old faces.
The story is thus complete, but Ubisoft now has another pair of shoes to fill…
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