Former Assassin’s Creed boss Marc-Alexis Côté left Ubisoft after a two-decade-long career late last year, a development that coincided with the formation of Vantage Studios, a Tencent-led subsidiary responsible for overseeing the future of the series.
Although not much was said about the departure of Marc-Alexis Côté, new information regarding the developer’s exit has now come forward. The former Assassin’s Creed head states that he was effectively forced out of the company after falling victim to constructive dismissal.
A new story shared by Radio-Canada discusses Marc-Alexis Côté’s departure from Ubisoft. It is said that the developer was surprised when Ubisoft began looking for the Head of Franchise for Assassin’s Creed, and when Marc-Alexis Côté applied for the position, Yves Guillemot opposed his application.
For Marc-Alexis Côté, this was unacceptable since the new position would effectively take away all his responsibilities regarding Assassin’s Creed. According to the report, he then asked the French gaming giant to give him two weeks to process the entire scenario. Ultimately, however, he saw Ubisoft’s insistence on the position as ‘constructive dismissal.’
The developer is now suing Ubisoft and has already filed proceedings in the Supreme Court of Quebec. As part of the filing, the former Assassin’s Creed executive producer is claiming $1.3 million in moral damages from his former employer.
According to Marc-Alexis Côté, Ubisoft even avoided paying him severance, announcing his voluntary departure from the company while he had filed a formal notice for severance. All of this came as a shock to the man who had been leading Ubisoft’s biggest franchise for the longest time.
For those familiar with the studio, this is not the first time Ubisoft has been involved in a major controversy. Previously, the French giant was also sued by Patrice Desilets, the creator of Assassin’s Creed, and it seems history is now repeating itself.
