Assassin’s Creed franchise head Marc-Alexis Côté has resigned from Ubisoft amid the company’s reorganization.
Ubisoft is in the process of raising $1.15 billion from Tencent by year end for its new core franchise subsidiary that includes Rainbow Six, Assassin’s Creed and it has named new leadership for that subsidiary. In talks about a new role within that structure, Côté decided to resign from Ubisoft after more than 20 years. IGN first reported on the departure.
Ubisoft’s new subsidiary, dubbed Vantage Studios, is being run by two new co-CEOs, Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot. It’s in the process of setting up a new structure that allows decisions to be made directly by creative teams. Côté was offered multiple new roles but did not take any.
[Updated: 10/17/25 at 8:41 a.m.: Cote said in a Linkedin post that he “did not make the choice to leave” but rather Ubisoft chose to transfer leadership to someone closer to the developers].
In a statement, Ubisoft said, “Following the organizational restructuring announced in March 2025, Marc-Alexis Côté has chosen to pursue a new path elsewhere outside of Ubisoft.”
The company added, “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 started at Ubisoft in 2005 and became the lead engine programmer for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. After that, he worked on Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood as a lead level designer. Then he became game director on Assassin’s Creed 3. He became creative director at Ubisoft Quebec and contributed to Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag DLC Freedom Cry, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. He went on to other key roles and was most recently vice president and executive producer.
After Assassin’s Creed: Shadows was criticized last fall for having a Black protagonist Yasuke as a samurai (as well as having a woman, Naoe, as a ninja as the game’s second hero), Côté gave a speech at BAFTA where he defended the choices the team made in spite of “anti-woke” criticism.
“Assassin’s Creed has always been about exploring the full spectrum of human history, and by its very nature, that history is diverse. Staying true to history means embracing the richness of human perspectives – without compromise,” Côté said.
The game was successful, selling around seven million copies, but not as successful as some of the Assassin’s Creed games from the past. Derennes said in an internal email to the Vantage Studios team:
Hello,
Charlie and I wish to inform you that Marc-Alexis Côté has decided to leave Ubisoft to pursue new opportunities.
While we are disappointed by his decision, we understand and respect that MAC had his own expectations and priorities related to Vantage Studios’ creation and future. Unfortunately, despite being offered several opportunities to be part of the leadership team shaping our strategic direction, MAC respectfully declined and decided to look to start his next chapter elsewhere.
Until a Head of Franchise for Assassin’s Creed is named, MAC’s former direct reports will report to Charlie, as outlined during the October 6 Town Hall, other than Claude Langlais, who will report to Nicolas Rioux, Isabelle Bismuth, who will report to me, and Jocelyn Veilleux-Nolin who will report to Andrée-Anne Boisvert. Our roadmap for AC is strong, and with the collective creativity and talent of everyone involved, we are confident we will deliver on our bold ambitions for this iconic franchise.
Let me close by offering our deep gratitude for MAC’s many contributions over the years. As Executive Producer and VP for Assassin’s Creed, he has been instrumental in AC’s success, and his impact has been felt across our teams and our players. Over the past two years as Zone MD, I’ve been especially grateful for his thoughtful insights and generous feedback. We wish him every success in his next endeavours.
Christophe