Marc-Alexis Côté, the former head of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, who worked at the company for 20 years, revealed that his departure from the position was not voluntary. Ubisoft asked him to leave the post and transferred the management of the franchise to Vantage Studios.
The announcement of his departure was made on October 15, 2025, just seven months after the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadow. Ubisoft expressed "deep gratitude" for Côté's contribution and "regret for his departure," which led many to assume that the decision to leave the company was his own. In fact, the initiative came from Ubisoft.
In a LinkedIn post, Côté noted:
"Many were surprised that I could leave Assassin’s Creed after so many years, especially given my passion for the franchise. The truth is simple: it wasn't my choice."
He explained that Ubisoft transferred the franchise to "someone closer to the new organizational structure" and offered him "another position," but without "the same scope of authority and continuation of the work I have been doing in recent years." The franchise is now under the control of Vantage Studios, a subsidiary of Tencent, headed by 35-year-old Ubisoft veteran Christophe Deren and the son of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.
Despite the fact that Côté was forced to leave, he holds no grudge against Ubisoft and is grateful to the team and the projects he worked on.
"I will always be grateful to the people, projects, and belief that together we created worlds that inspire millions. But I must be clear: I did not leave on my own. I remained in my position until Ubisoft asked me to step aside."
