Eric Baptizat, the director of 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Eric Baptizat, has returned to Ubisoft after leaving the company following the title’s release. According to the Assassin’s Creed head of content, Jean Guesdon, Baptizat will take on the role of the franchise’s game director.
“Thrilled to share some exciting news,” Guesdon wrote in a LinkedIn post (via machine translation). “After an incredible professional journey, including 16 years at Ubisoft and then leading the critically acclaimed Dead Space remake at EA Motive, Eric Baptizat is coming back to the Assassin’s Creed family as our new Game Director for the brand.”
“Eric needs no introduction in this universe. 16 years at Ubisoft, key contributions to Black Flag, Origins, and Valhalla as Game Director, his passion for gameplay craft and his deep connection to this franchise speak for themselves. Seeing someone with his expertise, his rigor, and his collaborative spirit step into this role fills me with confidence and, honestly, a lot of excitement for what’s ahead for the brand. Welcome back, Eric. We’re so glad to have you home.”
What this means for the Assassin’s Creed franchise in the longer term remains to be seen. Ubisoft hasn’t yet officially unveiled any of its new games, and has only just confirmed two are in the works – Codename Hexe and Codename Jade. Of the two, the former is believed to be a major game being developed for PC and consoles, and is the likely candidate for the next big release.
A recent rumor has indicated that Codename Hexe will feature a “large-scale” map that, while offering plenty of room for exploration, will still be quite linear. To aid with the exploration, reports have indicated that the player’s movement will be quite fluid, and even “more advanced than ever before.” There are also believed to be a few mystical elements in the game in some “shape or form”.
A core narrative theme of Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe is believed to revolve around the German Witch Trials, during which players will take on the role of a new character named Anika. The visual style will reportedly be “dark and a lot better than Shadows.”
“They have taken the negatives from Shadows and turned it into a masterpiece designed to bring your attention. When Ubisoft said it was dark, it is,” said known leaker RogueTx.
The most recent entry in the franchise was Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, which was released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S last month. The development team has continued to provide post-launch support with plenty of patches, with a recent one allowing players to hide the blowpipe from Edward Kenway’s body.
As its name might imply, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, which was originally developed for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The title takes place during the Golden Age of Piracy, with players taking on the role of Edward Kenway – a pirate who finds himself caught in a web of conspiracies between the Assassins and the Templars. For more details, check out our review.
