Marc-Alexis Côté, the franchise lead behind Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, has reportedly left Ubisoft after spending more than 20 years at the game development company.
Côté, who joined Ubisoft in 2005, is said to have departed the studio as the franchise changes hands from internal teams to the newly-formed Vantage Studios.
Vantage Studios is a new separate business entity that’s been formed in partnership with Chinese gaming giant Tencent. At the time of writing, Tencent has a 25% stake in the company that will head up major Ubisoft releases.
While Vantage is working on future Assassin’s Creed titles, that’s not the only IP the Tencent-backed group will be looking over. The new studio will also be working on future games in the Far Cry series as well as Rainbow Six titles.
In a report by IGN, Côté is said to have been offered a leadership position at Vantage Studios. However, the franchise lead declined with an internal email from Vantage Studios co-CEO Christophe Derennes claiming Côté “had his own expectations and priorities related to Vantage Studios’ creation and future.”
“Following the organizational restructuring announced in March 2025, Marc-Alexis Côté has chosen to pursue a new path elsewhere outside of Ubisoft,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told the outlet. “While we are saddened to see him go, we’re confident that our talented teams will carry forward the strong foundation he helped build.”
Côté’s work on the Assassin’s Creed franchise has shaped the series’ most successful entries such as Black Flag, Origins, and the most-recent game in the series, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Côté’s work has also shaped future, unreleased entries including the upcoming game Assassin’s Creed Hexe which has no release date at the time of writing.
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Ubisoft has seen a number of controversies surrounding the Assassin’s Creed franchise as of late. As well as Tencent’s money to fund future titles, Ubisoft has also been receiving funds from Saudi investment firms to develop Saudi-positive DLC for the popular franchise.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s surprise free DLC was funded by PIF, one of the investment firms behind the recent acquisition of EA, much to the dismay of workers. Via Game File, one worker asked Ubisoft management:
“Doesn’t management believe that seeking a contract with a person accused of crimes against humanity for ordering the assassination (including dismemberment and dissolution in acid) of a journalist could contribute to the Ubi-bashing the company is currently suffering?”
Additionally, Ubisoft has seen heat for its cowardice against the ongoing “anti-woke” push from right wing groups. Following the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft cancelled a new game set during the aftermath of the Civil War which would see a former slave fight back against the rising Ku Klux Klan. The game was cancelled due to increasing right wing complaints.
There’s no telling what this means for the future of Assassin’s Creed as a franchise, but there could be changes in content depending on the demands of Tencent. In the immediate future, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to have a Nintendo Switch 2 port with numerous leaks confirming the version’s existence.
