“So… Ubisoft wanna bring back 5 days in the office… because they ‘believe in collaboration’… but c’mon, we’re not completely stupid… we very well know why you want to go back to 5 days in the office,” he wrote. “(Spoiler alert: it’s not about efficiency or collaboration)”

This, however, had led to Ubisoft punishing him by putting him through a three-day unpaid disciplinary suspension. In a follow-up post, Michaud-Cromp said the company cited his public comments about the return-to-office policy. More recently, however, the company has seemingly escalated his punishment by firing him.

“Today, I was terminated by Ubisoft, effective immediately,” he wrote in a new post. “This was not my decision. I won’t be discussing internal details or circumstances. I’m taking time to regroup and will share next steps when appropriate.”

In a statement to WCCFTech, Ubisoft said that Michaud-Cromp was fired due to him breaching a company-wide Code of Conduct that each employee signs every year. Refusing to comment further, the company noted it has established procedures that include escalation measures.

“Sharing feedback or opinions respectfully does not lead to a dismissal,” said Ubisoft in its statement. “We have a clear Code of Conduct that outlines our shared expectations for working together safely and respectfully, which employees review and sign each year. When that is breached, our established procedures apply, including an escalation of measures depending on the nature, severity and repetition of the breach. We won’t comment further.”

Ubisoft has been facing quite a bit of scrutiny from its employees as well as labor unions since its cancellation of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake and its offer of a “voluntary mutual termination agreement” for Ubisoft Paris.

French unions Solidaires Informatique, STVJV, and CFE CGC responded by asking employees at the Paris office to “stop working” if CEO Yves Guillemot enters the building during his planned visit today.

“It is time to make our boss understand that he is not welcome on our premises as long as he continues to mistreat his employees,” reads a pamphlet distributed by the unions. “We call on the employees of Ubisoft Paris to stop working if Yves Guillemot steps foot in our offices. Leave your desks, and gather in front of the building.”

Solidaires Informatique had also been on the forefront of criticizing Ubisoft’s “major organizational, operational, and portfolio reset”, referring to it as a “disastrous announcement.” Calling for a half-day strike last month, the union had three demands: maintaining remote working options for employees, “decent” pay raises this year, and an end to Ubisoft’s cost-cutting plans.

In the meantime, Ubisoft has also confirmed that the long-in-development Beyond Good and Evil 2 hasn’t been affected by its restructuring.

And they all went live on the same day that the company decided to kill Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.

Remember rumors about how it would launch in mid-January? Oh, how we waited for weeks regarding an announcement, maybe a reveal at The Game Awards or even, of all places, the New Game+ Showcase. But nothing. Okay, maybe a shadow drop at some point? Surely the publisher would have to do something with the remake, especially when it officially planned the release for early 2026. Me and my big mouth, I guess. It was allegedly pushed to late March, according to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, before news of its cancellation emerged today.

On Twitter, the development team at Ubisoft Montreal acknowledged the project’s cancellation and how it was “deeply disappointing” for fans. However, it seems that despite its best effort and having real potential, “We weren’t able to reach the level of quality you deserve, and continuing would have required more time and investment than we could possibly commit.” Since it didn’t want to release something that fell short of what the original represented, Ubisoft Montreal decided to stop development (though there’s the usual spiel about this “doesn’t mean we’re stepping away from the franchise” so on and so forth).

What this actually reads like, especially in the wake of Ubisoft’s other announcements – because oh boy are there others – is that the publisher either wasn’t satisfied with the final result or didn’t believe it would sell well. Over five years since its initial announcement, which was met with a mostly negative response before the Montreal studio took over in 2024 and effectively started from scratch, it was probably in a state that required more time than it was prepared to give. Better to allocate the team elsewhere or have it focus on something else, and hope no one cares (which is going to be very ironic soon, just wait).

But on the surface, the only thing you can really think is: What an utter clown show for such a beloved title and franchise.

Unfortunately, that’s not all. To summarize: Four other unannounced titles, including three new IPs and a mobile game, were also cancelled. Ubisoft confirmed the closure of its Halifax and Stockholm studios alongside restructuring at others, including Massive. It’s looking to reduce costs by another €200 million in the next fiscal year (which might as well be its way of saying that more layoffs are on the way). Funnily enough, in the previous quarter, the company was reported as “overperforming,” but, apparently, that’s not enough.

To top it all off, it’s shifting to a new operational model with five Creative Houses, which will have “full financial ownership and account for economic performance.”

Vantage Studios, run by Charlie Guillemot (the CEO’s son), is one, handling the “established franchises” like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six, to turn them into “annual billionaire brands.” It’s clearly the Creative House meant to be leading the charge, though I suspect that’s less due to nepotism and more because Tencent has invested some $1.25 billion in its future. But does this mean it wants each IP to generate $1 billion yearly, especially when they required years to reach the same? Unclear. Also, you would think (if you expected better from the company) that the goal would be to make great games instead of aiming for “billionaire status.” Thankfully, it’s Ubisoft, so we know not to expect better, and that earning the most revenue will be its highest priority.

As are the other Creative Houses. Trying to encompass every single brand of gaming – fantasy, narrative-heavy, live-service, competitive shooters, co-op shooters, casual games, etc. – is certainly a goal. But Anno and Might and Magic under the same roof as Rayman, Prince of Persia, and Beyond Good and Evil? For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, Skull and Bones and Brawlhalla – each game having next to nothing in common with the others save for being live service? Splinter Cell clubbed in with The Division and Ghost Recon under competitive and co-op shooters?

It’s unclear whether this means established studios will be reorganized under these houses. Insider Gaming also reports that Beyond Good and Evil 2, announced in 2008, is still in development. Not the original vision, whatever it happened to be – we’re talking about the one revealed much more recently, which has actually been in development for eight to nine years. How did that possibly survive the purge, but The Sands of Time Remake didn’t? Why, 18 years later and with Michel Ancel, the original creator, long gone, is it still bothering? Just…why?

And by the way, that “full financial ownership and account for economic performance” part doesn’t really sound like leadership will have any control over the running of their respective markets. It feels more like Ubisoft is spinning them off to invite more outside investment, similar to Vantage Studios. I could be wrong, but at this point, I wouldn’t put it past them.

But hey, good news everyone. Ubisoft is using this opportunity to allocate more development time to seven other games. The bad news is that the unannounced game set to release this quarter has been delayed to next fiscal year, and yes, that was Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Remake. How close was it to really releasing? Apparently, it was going gold in the first week of February and was planned to launch on March 19th, according to Insider Gaming.

What forced Ubisoft to delay it an entire year? Too many bugs? The rumored removal of the modern-day sections? We may never know, but it’s still disappointing news, especially when it was apparently at the finish line.

And really, what more can you say about the rest of this mess? As much as Ubisoft wants to prop this up as some kind of self-righting of the organization, it feels like a fancier way to justify laying off more employees and cancelling projects while buying time for the games that it hopes will turn things around. But where is the next Far Cry? What about Splinter Cell Remake, which we’ve yet to see at all in years (never mind a new game in the franchise)? Even The Division 3, announced more recently, has had no updates, and its executive producer has left to work at Battlefield Studios.

Maybe all of this is the main reason why Ubisoft is making these changes, but the reasons it’s in this mess – from trend chasing and green lighting tons of projects that wouldn’t go anywhere (don’t think I’ve forgotten about Hyper Scape) to lack of oversight – won’t magically mend on their own. It can flail about until then and maybe hope for the best because honestly, short of a miracle, what does it possibly have left?

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

“While the project had real potential, we weren’t able to reach the level of quality you deserve, and continuing work would have required more time and investment than we could responsibly commit.” It also didn’t want to “release something that fell short” of what the original represented.

Ubisoft Montreal assured players that the universe and its legacy “continues to matter deeply to us,” and that this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “stepping away from the franchise.”

The Sands of Time Remake has always remained on shaky ground, especially following its reveal, which attracted backlash for the underwhelming visuals. Following delays, the project shifted to Ubisoft Montreal, and development was restarted. While it didn’t showcase any gameplay, the studio outlined how Farah would undergo major changes, and promised revamped levels and combat.

Still, it went a long time without any new details, even after assurances of more to come this year. After Ubisoft’s internal reset and organizational shake-up, with Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six hogging the most resources, we’re probably unlikely to see a new big-budget game anytime soon, never mind a remake.

At least we’ll always have The Rogue Prince of Persia, developed by Evil Empire of Dead Cells fame, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, a 2.5D Metroidvania from Ubisoft Montpellier.

First released in 2013 as an 80s action movie spin-off to Far Cry 3, the story follows Sergeant Rex “Power” Colt on a mission to kill the rogue Colonel Sloane. While it removes several elements from its predecessor and offers a smaller open world, Blood Dragon received praise for its humor, new weapons and the titular creature, which can be lured to attack enemies.

The Classic Edition was initially released in 2021 as part of Far Cry 6’s Season Pass before launching separately for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. However, its 30 FPS cap on consoles and horrendous input lag soured the experience for many fans. Whether the upcoming update will address the latter remains to be seen, so stay tuned. You can check out our review for the original here, which we scored a perfect 10.

“I’m thrilled to share that I’m starting a new position at Ubisoft Montreal as lead scriptwriter on Assassin’s Creed: Codename Hexe. Incredibly grateful to be a part of this team and project!” he said. This isn’t Grilli’s first stint on the franchise – he also served as a writer for Assassin’s Creed Origins, Valhalla and Mirage before ultimately leaving Ubisoft in 2023.

Grilli’s position coincides with the discovery that Benoit Richter, who directed Batman: Arkham Origins and worked on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, is also onboard. While the publisher has not indicated when Codename Hexe will launch, it’s rumored to arrive sometime after post-launch support ends for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Which could very well mean a reveal this year, if we’re lucky. In the meantime, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the long-rumored remake of Assassin’s Creed 4, remains elusive. Such is the anxiety over new details that even Ubisoft re-uploading old tracks was thought to be a sign of an impending announcement (which it seemingly isn’t).

Time will tell, however, especially since it has an “unannounced title” planned for release by March 31st, 2026. Other notable titles planned for release in the coming weeks include Rainbow Six Mobile, The Division Resurgence, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.

This 67-day ban has been far from an isolated incident, with several players taking to social media to talk about it. While these issues might at first seem like they were only affecting the PC version of Rainbow Six Siege X, checking out the game’s status website paints a different picture, with the infrastructure of he PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S versions of the shooter also being affected. All five versions have been facing “4 Unplanned Issues”, which include “Degraded” connectivity, and “Outage” for Authentication, In-Game Store, and Matchmaking.

Ubisoft hasn’t yet made any statements regarding these recent hacks, which have in turn prompted some players to try and figure out what the issues might be on their own. One Reddit user has posited that it might be related to a vulnerability in the game’s implementation of the MongoDB database system. Interestingly, while players and even Ubisoft’s own status website notes outages affecting Rainbow Six Siege X, the game’s subreddit has many players pointing out that they have been able to play without any issues whatsoever. “Damn, I just logged off like half an hour ago. Been playing all morning,” wrote one user over the weekend.

Ubisoft had first spoken about its new R6 ShieldGuard initiative back in March 2025 when it officially unveiled the new features of Rainbow Six Siege X leading up to its free-to-play release. Programming team lead Adrian Fraisse spoke about the development team taking things like in-game toxicity more seriously, while also noting that the game’s code would use Binary Hardening to more thoroughly encrypt its files.

“Cheating and toxicity has no place in Siege, and we won’t rest until it’s a thing of the past,” said Fraisse. “At SI, we introduced a new initiative, R6 ShieldGuard.” The title also features in-game defense systems to prevent players from performing actions that have been dubbed “impossible” during gameplay. These actions include going directly against the game’s core mechanics, like sprinting and shooting at the same time.

Rainbow Six Siege X got its free-to-play release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S back in June 2025. Along with stronger anticheat and anti-hacker systems, the shooter’s re-launch also brought with it the brand new Dual Front game mode, as well as some upgrades to the game’s visuals.

Announced in 2022 alongside Shadows (then known as Codename Red), Hexe is allegedly a linear title with some open-world elements. It’s also apparently aiming to be the “darkest” game in the series yet, and who better to direct than someone who worked on the Batman: Arkham series? As spotted by ClawsomeGamer, Benoit Richter of Batman: Arkham Origins fame is directing Codename Hexe, according to his LinkedIn.

Developed by WB Games Montreal and released in 2013, the prequel received a positive enough reception, though it’s more known for the general lack of acknowledgement from Rocksteady’s “mainline” Arkham series. Of course, Richter has worked on other Ubisoft titles, including Transference and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

While Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe doesn’t have a release date, rumors claim it will launch after Shadows concludes its post-launch support. That means sometime in 2027, and there are seemingly plans for a year of DLC and updates, but plans could always change.

The tactical team-based shooter, overhauled into Siege X with a free-to-play model last June, would certainly stand out, especially with other shooters yet to really support the console. And while creative director Alexander Karpazis is focusing on current platforms, he threw out a classic “never say never” for the future to IGN.

“For us, the focus will always be on the platforms we’re on right now, making sure that it’s the best experience, and when we do new gameplay [that] it makes use of the platforms that we’re on. So right now, any new platform isn’t necessarily a focus for us. But again, we’re a live game, it’s 10 years. I learnt a long time ago to never say never, so we’ll see as platforms grow and new opportunities come up too,” he said during an interview at Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show.

In the meantime, Rainbow Six Siege X will host a big in-game event to celebrate the title’s tenth anniversary. “We have rewards that we have planned for our players as well. So yeah, we’ll absolutely be taking advantage of this big moment and celebrating it with everyone.”

Rainbow Six Siege X is available for Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It’s currently in the middle of Season 3, which added Denari, a new Operator, the Glaive-12 as a new weapon, an update to Dual Front, and three modernized maps. Check out the roadmap for more details on what’s next.

You take on the role of Eivor, a warrior who falls into the parentage of clan king Styrbjorn following their parent’s brutal murder. As sibling to the king’s son Sigurd, Eivor and their clan leave their homeland for pastures new, and it’s the historically established duality of Viking motivation which provides game-spanning problems for Valhalla’s narrative. The game’s good for the most part – decent combat, likeable characters, an immersive open world – but the developer clearly had a hard time deciding what kind of story they wanted to tell.

I am no historian and what I am about to say is something I came across when I was searching about the Vikings. There’s reportedly debate amongst historians as to just how bloodthirsty Vikings were. Yes, they ransacked settlements, but there’s also evidence they favoured diplomacy over bloodshed. They co-existed, helped develop language, and established new trade routes.

Regardless of whether this  is true or not, you do a lot of killing in command of Eivor in Valhalla, but overall, the Vikings aren’t shown to be exclusively evil in the game. But it’s this alleged historical nebulousness which got Assassin’s Creed Valhalla off to a bad start according to some fans, with criticism levelling the developer’s efforts towards realism before an axe had even been swung.

According to player feedback, Incorrect weaponry, improper armour, inaccurate shields, improper representation of Saxon culture, over-romanticised visions of Viking wanderlust, numerous were the issues raised by those of a historical background following Valhalla’s reveal trailer. Thing is, video games always blur the edges between historical fact and entertaining fiction.

Oversized weapons, for instance, have always been a thing, their larger frame being more readable on screen. Portraying enemies as hyper-violent brutes to justify your own murderous actions another obvious commonplace example. There’s always going to be a point where developers must put entertainment first, but according to some players, the points at which the developer usurped historical realism for gameplay proved divisive amongst gamers.

Another example would be the verdant landscape of England itself. Now, setting is consistently one of Assassin’s Creeds’ most well-realised features, and whilst the environment’s design is as stellar as always in Valhalla the efforts towards historical accuracy do present the question as to whether 9^th century England was the right choice for an Assassin’s Creed game. After all, the land is flat. According to my research, Anglo-Saxon settlers didn’t build to height. Colossal medieval castles weren’t constructed yet. Forests had next to nothing in them.

The sparse population centred in settlements meant there wasn’t a lot of interesting happenstances occurring during open world traversal. Thus, the series’ integral parkour and free running is side-lined in favour of traipsing across a vast open world where not a lot tends to occur. Historically accurate to a degree, perhaps, but forgoing much of what makes video games – and Assassin’s Creed games in particular – entertaining. Whether this is appealing depends on the individual; as is the theme of this feature: it’s divisive.

The decision to set one of Assassin’s Creed’s mainline entry within a Viking era means the series’ stealth mechanics have been kept on the side-lines too, albeit with the reintroduction of classic features like social stealth there’s more opportunities for sneaking than in the action-orientated Origins and Odyssey. Still, Eivor is not an assassin, their skills in stealth clunky and sluggish. There are stealth elements here though: Eivor is given a handful of tactics from the ‘Hidden Ones’ (Assassins before they called themselves so). One is how to best utilise the blade which they bestow you with and another is a strategy for camouflaging in plain sight. By donning a hood – a tactic not unique to Valhalla but a staple of the series at large – Eivor can sneak into populated areas where Vikings are not welcome, or simply walk by guards without them noticing.

These mechanics don’t go far enough to make stealth a viable option to use throughout, and a further problem is that performing stealthy actions don’t always work anyway. Silently taking down a guard, making zero noise, keeping out of sight; sometimes this has no effect on whether the rest of the town spots Eivor or not. Stealth here is another example of the developer getting stuck between two mindsets.

They felt they had to reintroduce stealth elements following their notable absence from Valhalla’s two predecessors, but they didn’t go far enough to make them a great option for gameplay. As interesting as the movement of Vikings across Europe and beyond in the Middle Ages was, it hasn’t fostered a game which feels like Assassin’s Creed. A decent open world action adventure sure or may be a great one according to our review back in 2020, but too atypical in a series famed for blending sneaking and parkour.

The gargantuan open world plays host to a huge campaign too, with the story’s length itself another bone of contention amongst gamers. Clocking in at around 60 hours, Eivor’s odyssey through Middle Age England takes a while to get going, and it isn’t all that satisfying to undertake and complete. Worse still, arguably the game’s prologue section in Norway is the most interesting part of Valhalla, with many believing the game goes downhill once the clan lands in England. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla then is too long. In fact, Valhalla was one of numerous AAA titles which kickstarted the widespread debate on whether video games had become too large. Eivor’s story, after a while, just doesn’t feel that unique or interesting, and certainly not worth ticking off the best part of three days to see to the end.

That said, an interesting addition to Valhalla’s narrative was its Kingdoms, sections of the country divided up by their various king, leaders, and various noblemen rulers, with Eivor and their clan deciding how best to forge an alliance with the Kingdom. Either via force or diplomacy, these Kingdoms represent a more thoughtful version of the commonplace structure of acquiring sections of the map, and the choice between hostility and negotiation – mirroring real-life Viking approaches – meant gathering up bits of land for the Viking cause never felt overly grindy or like busywork. There was meaning behind these actions.

Side content however was overabundant. Much of Valhalla’s content away from the main story succumbed to the developer’s penchant for copy-pasting. Repetition was rife, and to see all the content through to completion – much like the main campaign – required willpower which frankly shouldn’t even be the case in video games. Collectibles were streamlined compared to Origins and Odyssey, which was a plus, but you must wonder what the point of it all is if pursuing every activity across the map is a repetitive slog for the sake of acquiring a few bits of gear.

In summary, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla suffered an identity crisis which made it divisive amongst fans. Efforts towards realism simultaneously went too far whilst not going deep enough. It seems as though focus was placed in some areas whilst the developer rested on their laurels for others. Valhalla is a great open world Viking adventure and surely has a lot of fans but fails to be a great Assassin’s Creed game.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

As past reports have claimed, Ubisoft Montreal has two titles in the works in the form of Far Cry 7 (under the codename Blackbird) and and a standalone extraction shooter spinoff (under the codename Maverick), with the latter being set in the Alaskan wilderness, and the former being structured around a real-time 24-hour time limit within which the protagonist has to rescue their family from a dangerous conspiracy theory cult.

Now, Henderson has offered yet more potential details, claiming that both titles are being designed to intentionally move away from what’s been the established Far Cry formula for years. On the moment-to-moment gameplay front, both titles will also feature new and enhanced movement options, including tactical sprinting, vaulting, sliding, and more. Both games will also feature new inventory and loot systems.

Past leaks had claimed that Far Cry 7 and Maverick would both be releasing in Fall 2025, but Henderson now claims that due to the complexities of their development, both titles have now been pushed back into 2026. Allegedly, the developers working on the project are optimistic about how Far Cry 7 is shaping up, though there is more internal skepticism surrounding Maverick, with some concerned about whether it will be another in a long list of failed Ubisoft titles that tried to chase trends, similar to XDefiant.