Despite spending more than two decades at the French publisher, this apparently meant nothing to Yves Guillemot’s company.
The day after Ubisoft confirmed Marc-Alexis Côté‘s departure, the former head of the Assassin’s Creed franchise stated on LinkedIn that he did not decide to leave the company. Management asked him to step aside after offering him a reduced role at Ubisoft’s new subsidiary, Vantage Studios. Côté’s departure on October 15 came as a surprise, particularly given the huge success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows just seven months earlier. This success marked the culmination of an effort to restore the series’ popularity, which began in 2018 when Côté was appointed executive producer.
“The past 24 hours have been deeply emotional. Reading all your public and private messages has reminded me of so many moments, people, and shared dreams from the past two decades. I have been archiving them all, something to revisit one day when I am old and smile at what we built together. From the messages of colleagues, friends, and fans, a recurring theme has emerged that I feel the need to clarify. Many of you have expressed surprise that I would choose to leave Assassin’s Creed after so many years, especially given my continued passion for it. The truth is simple: I did not make that choice.
Ubisoft decided to transfer leadership of the Assassin’s Creed franchise to someone better aligned with its new organizational structure. Although a different position was mentioned, it did not carry the same scope, mandate, or continuity as the work I had been entrusted with in recent years. I want to be clear that I hold no resentment. Ubisoft has been my professional home for my entire career, and I am grateful for the people, projects, and belief that we could create inspiring worlds together. However, I also owe it to my teams, past and present, to be straightforward: I did not walk away. I remained in my position until Ubisoft asked me to step aside.
Growing up, I was inspired by Star Trek (TNG!), and in the later years of my career, I came to see myself as the captain of the Assassin’s Creed ship. A captain leaves only once every soul on board is safe, and that is exactly what I did for as long as I could. Thank you again for your messages of support. They mean more to me than you can imagine. Nothing is true. Everything is permitted,” Côté said.
So, we were right. Tencent’s influence may indeed have been behind this departure.
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