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Assassin’s Creed Franchise Boss Marc-Alexis Côté Departs Ubisoft After Two Decades

Marc-Alexis Côté, the longtime creative lead of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, has officially left Ubisoft after more than 20 years with the company.


The news comes just weeks after the publisher reorganized its biggest brands under a new subsidiary called Vantage Studios, which is partly owned by Tencent.


Marc-Alexis Côté, Head of Assassin's Creed Series.
Image: Marc-Alexis Côté, Head of Assassin's Creed Series

According to IGN, Ubisoft staff were informed of Côté’s departure through an internal email that stated the need for Vantage’s leadership team to be “aligned” with its goals.


Côté was reportedly offered a leadership role within the new structure, but he declined it. In a note to employees, Vantage co-CEO Christophe Derennes admitted he was “disappointed” by the decision, adding that Côté had "his own expectations and priorities regarding the studio’s creation and future."


Ubisoft later confirmed the news in a statement: “Following the organizational restructuring announced in March 2025, Marc-Alexis Côté has chosen to pursue a new path elsewhere outside of Ubisoft. 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 Career Built Around Assassin’s Creed

Côté, known internally as “Mac,” joined Ubisoft in 2005 as a software engineer. He first worked as a lead engine programmer on Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands before moving to the Assassin’s Creed series with Brotherhood, where he served as a lead level designer. His influence grew quickly, becoming game director on Assassin’s Creed 3 and later creative director at Ubisoft Quebec.


Under his leadership, the Quebec studio delivered projects such as Freedom Cry (the Black Flag DLC), Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.


By 2022, Côté was promoted to franchise head, overseeing the ambitious relaunch of Assassin’s Creed through the Animus Hub initiative (initially known as Assassin’s Creed Infinity). He also laid out an ambitious roadmap of upcoming titles, including the still-unreleased Assassin’s Creed Hexe.


Côté was also a vocal defender of the series’ creative direction. When Assassin’s Creed Shadows faced backlash in late 2024 over its Black samurai protagonist Yasuke, Côté addressed the criticism head-on by calling the online attacks “devastating” for his colleagues but reaffirmed the team’s commitment to authenticity and diversity.


Despite the controversy, Shadows attracted around five million players (not sales), though it fell short of the franchise’s biggest hits.


What’s Next for Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed

Côté’s exit comes just days after reports surfaced that Ubisoft canceled an Assassin’s Creed project set in post-Civil War America, which would have featured a former Black slave fighting the Ku Klux Klan. The project was reportedly shelved in 2024 due to concerns about the U.S. political climate and backlash Shadows faced for its Black character.


For now, Ubisoft has not named a new head of franchise. Until then, leadership responsibilities will be divided among senior staff at Vantage Studios. As Derennes noted in his internal email, the roadmap for Assassin’s Creed remains strong, and Ubisoft is confident in delivering on its “bold ambitions” for the series.

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