Ubisoft’s ‘darker’ Assassin’s Creed project, Codename Hexe, has lost its game director, weeks after creative director Clint Hocking exited Ubisoft.
In a post on LinkedIn, Benoit Richer confirmed that he’s left Ubisoft to work at his own indie development studio.
Previously, Richer was the game director of Warner Bros. Montreal’s Batman: Arkham Origins, and codev director for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. Before that, he worked on various Rainbow Six titles.
Confirmation of Richer’s departure from Hexe comes weeks after a major shakeup on the Assassin’s Creed franchise, which has been taken over by a new leadership team.
Following the shakeup, Codename Hexe – one of four announced premium games in development – lost its creative director, as first revealed by VGC, with new Assassin’s Creed boss Jean Guesdon taking over the project himself.
Typically, in game development, the creative director is responsible for establishing the overall artistic vision of the project, while the game director leads execution for the design of levels, systems, and mechanics.
“While we know we haven’t shared much about this one yet, it’s being built with great care by our veteran team here at Ubisoft Montreal,” Guesdon said in a statement last month. “Expect a unique, darker, narrative driven Assassin’s Creed experience, set during a pivotal moment in history.”
He added: “You may have seen the recent news: I have recently taken the role of Creative Director for the project, in addition to my new responsibilities as Head of Content.
“We are taking the time to deliver on its ambitious vision, which means we’ll be quiet for a while longer, but we love seeing all the enthusiasm happening on our channels and can’t wait to unveil more when the time is right.”
Meanwhile, multiplayer game Codename Invictus is “progressing steadily with a test and learn approach,” according to Guesdon, and last week Ubisoft officially announced the upcoming remake of fan favorite, Black Flag.
