Former Assassin's Creed Boss Says He Was Asked to 'Step Aside' by Ubisoft

Former Assassin's Creed franchise head, Marc-Alexis Coté, has said he did not depart Ubisoft on his own accord and was instead asked to “step aside” by the company. The former Ubisoft executive's remarks came after the French video game company confirmed his departure this week. Coté had been serving as vice president and executive producer for Assassin's Creed since 2022.

In a LinkedIn post Thursday, Coté clarified the circumstances of his exit from Ubisoft, where he spent over two decades. A report earlier this week claimed that the former Assassin's Creed boss left Ubisoft after the launch of Vantage Studios, the new Tencent-backed subsidiary now in charge of the company's three biggest franchises, including Assassin's Creed.

Coté was reportedly offered a leadership role at the newly formed subsidiary, but he declined. But the former Ubisoft executive said in his post that leaving Assassin's Creed was not his choice.

New Assassin's Creed Leadership

As per Coté, Ubisoft opted for new leadership for Assassin's Cred under Vantage Studios and offered him a different role.

“Ubisoft decided to transfer the leadership of the Assassin's Creed franchise to someone closer to its new organizational structure,” Coté said on LinkedIn. “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.”

He said that he held no bitterness but felt he needed to clarify his exit from Ubisoft.

“I did not walk away. I stayed at my post until Ubisoft asked me to step aside,” Coté said.

He did not clarify what role he was offered as part of the new organisational structure at Ubisoft and Vantage Studios. Côté has not confirmed his next role, but in response to a question about his next project on his LinkedIn post, he said: “Waiting bravely for my next five-year mission… to build strange new worlds.”

Earlier this week, Ubisoft confirmed Coté's departure to IGN after the news broke. In an internal email to staff, the company said Coté “had his own expectations and priorities related to Vantage Studios' creation and future.” Vantage Studios co-CEO Christophe Derennes reportedly said he was “disappointed” by Côté's decision.

Ubisoft confirmed that Côté had chosen to pursue a new path outside of Ubisoft following the organizational restructuring. “While we are saddened to see him go, we're confident that our talented teams will carry forward the strong foundation he helped build,” a company spokesperson told IGN.