Ubisoft is strengthening the team behind Assassin’s Creed after several turbulent years. Eric Baptizat left the French publisher in 2021, but he has now returned to oversee the design direction of the entire franchise rather than a single game.
Ubisoft has experienced numerous setbacks during the past several years, but the results of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced have placed its most important franchise in a somewhat stronger position. Reports indicate that the latter performed better than the former, and the publisher has now brought back a veteran developer whose name appears throughout some of the series’ most successful periods.
Eric Baptizat left Ubisoft in 2021 to join EA Motive, but he is now working for the French company again. This time, he is returning as the executive responsible for the entire Assassin’s Creed franchise, meaning he will not direct the production of only one upcoming installment but will instead supervise the design direction of every project connected to the series.
Jean Guesdon, head of content for Assassin’s Creed, announced Baptizat’s return in a post on LinkedIn. “Seeing someone with his experience, rigor, and collaborative spirit step into this position fills me with confidence and, honestly, a great deal of excitement about what lies ahead for the franchise,” Guesdon wrote.
Baptizat’s responsibilities will include coordinating the design direction of the different Assassin’s Creed projects, ensuring consistency between their gameplay systems, and helping oversee the franchise’s creative evolution. Working closely with Guesdon, he will need to make sure that games developed by different studios retain their individual identities while still feeling like parts of one coherent series.
Why Eric Baptizat’s Return Matters
Baptizat’s name may be less familiar to the general public than that of original Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Désilets, but his career has been closely connected to the franchise. Before joining Ubisoft, he worked at companies including Infogrames and Behaviour Interactive, after which he spent a total of 16 years with the French publisher.
He served as lead designer on Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, worked as a senior designer on Assassin’s Creed Unity, became design director for Assassin’s Creed Origins, and directed Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Those games represented very different stages in the series’ development, but each had a major influence on the direction of the franchise.
After leaving Ubisoft, Baptizat directed the Dead Space remake released by EA Motive in 2023 and later worked as design director on Battlefield 6. His return therefore brings back not only a veteran with extensive knowledge of Assassin’s Creed, but also a developer who has gained additional experience on other large-scale franchises.
Source: 3DJuegos
