Ubisoft has seen some serious changes since the year began, and nowhere is this more evident than with Assassin’s Creed. Now under Vantage Studios, the appointment of Jean Guesdon as head of content and creative director for Codename Hexe would result in high-profile departures. Clint Hocking is out, and more recently, game director Benoit Richer has left to join an indie studio.
But what’s been the impact on Hexe? According to YouTuber j0nathan, who’s been reliable in the past with Assassin’s Creed leaks, “Since Jean Guesdon was put in charge of the Assassin’s Creed franchise in February, he’s decided to get rid of everything that was ‘magical’ in Hexe. For example, we were supposed to control a cat, well, ultimately that’s been canceled.” He notes that this may be one reason why Richer leaves.
When asked if this would hinder development, he responded that it may actually speed things up. “From what I’ve been told, the control with the cat wasn’t quite there yet and still needed more work. Removing it allows the teams to focus their efforts on more important things. But that doesn’t change the story.” If development progresses faster, then it’s possible that cat control could return at some point. For now, however, it’s apparently not a priority.
While it’s unknown if Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe will make its alleged Holiday 2027 date, Guesdon’s impact is seemingly becoming more and more evident. For instance, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced was allegedly set to launch last month, but seemingly faced a delay after Ubisoft’s big reshuffle. Thankfully, it’s arriving on July 9th, much sooner than previous claims about a 2027 release.
As for Codename Hexe, we’re still yet to officially learn about its premise, much less any gameplay. But Guesdon said it would be “unique, darker, and narrative-driven,” perhaps more so than what Assassin’s Creed fans are used to.
