The person acting as the head of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Marc-Alexis Côté, has left Ubisoft. According to a report by IGN, Côté’s departure seems to have come from the views of the leadership at recently-established company Vantage Studios not being in alignment with him. The report also notes that Côté was offered a leadership position at Vantage Studios before his departure.
Co-CEO of Vantage Studios, Christophe Derennes, has reportedly expressed disappointment in light of Côté leaving the company, noting that he “had his own expectations and priorities related to Vantage Studios’ creation and future.” In a statement, Ubisoft acknowledged his departure and expressed gratitude for his leadership role for the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
“Following the organizational restructuring announced in March 2025, Marc-Alexis Côté has chosen to pursue a new path elsewhere outside of Ubisoft,” a spokesperson from Ubisoft said in a statement. “While we are saddened to see him go, we’re confident that our talented teams will carry forward the strong foundation he helped build.”
“We are deeply grateful for the impact Marc-Alexis has had over the years, particularly in shaping the Assassin’s Creed brand into what it is today. His leadership, creativity, and dedication have left a lasting mark on our teams and our players. We thank him sincerely for his many contributions and wish him continued success in all his future endeavors.”
Côté has worked with Ubisoft on several projects since he first joined the company back in 2005, including titles like Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. His contribution to the Assassin’s Creed franchise started with 2010’s Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood on which he served as level designer. He would go on to work as a game director on Assassin’s Creed 3, with his future work also involving a host of games from across the franchise. The release of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was Côté’s first project as senior producer, and he went on to head up the development of the Animus Hub.
Vantage Studios itself was launched earlier this month. Headed up by Co-CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot, the company has been charged with working on the biggest of Ubisoft’s franchises – Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six. The studio’s staff comprises developers from across Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Barcelona, and Sofia.
“Vantage Studios represents a first step in Ubisoft’s ongoing transformation, with plans to set up additional creative houses and group its brands and franchises under the banner of a shared DNA and development expertise,” wrote the company in its announcement. “The goal of Vantage Studios, and future creative houses, is to facilitate stronger and deeper connections between developers and players.”
Ubisoft had first officially announced its plans to open a new subsidiary to work on the company’s largest franchises all the way back in March. The new company was confirmed to have received a €1.16 billion investment from Tencent in exchange for a 25 percent minority stake following months of rumors.
