Following the launch of Battlefield 2042, it was reported that head of design Fawzi Mesmar would be leaving DICE. It wasn’t necessarily a result of the game’s disastrous reception – instead, he revealed in an email to DICE employees that he had been “made an offer [he] couldn’t refuse at another company.” As it turns out, that company is Ubisoft as Mesmar joins as the new vice president of Editorial.
Mesmar will be reporting to chief creative director Igor Manceau. Though based in Sweden, he’ll be working with production teams around the world to “shape the creative vision of its games and ensure the inclusion of diverse perspectives throughout the production process.” He stated that, “I am excited to work with the talented teams across Ubisoft to nurture our collective creativity and build the future of Ubisoft’s games together. Ubisoft brings together some of the most creative minds in video games, and I look forward to supporting them in their work to deliver truly meaningful entertainment experiences to players.”
Manceau added that, “Fawzi is one of the industry’s most respected game designers and has a strong track record of uniting teams across various projects, expertise, and backgrounds. We are delighted to welcome him to the Editorial team and I’m confident he will develop strong partnerships with teams across Ubisoft. His expertise will help us continue to unite around a shared vision, strengthening and growing our broad portfolio of games, and providing players with enriching, memorable experiences.”
Ubisoft’s Editorial team has faced its fair share of controversies in recent times – former Editorial vice president Maxime Beland stepped down following allegations of assault amid widespread reports of misconduct at the publisher. Chief creative officer Serge Hascoët would follow later after reports of his toxic behavior also surfaced (with Manceau replacing him as head of Editorial). How these changes will affect the company in the long run remains to be seen, especially following reports earlier this year that nothing had changed.
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