After two decades at Ubisoft, Marc-Alexis Côté leaves the company in the midst of a structural change and with a new studio taking the reins of the saga

For almost twenty years, Marc-Alexis Côté He was one of the most influential minds within Ubisoft. From Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood until the future Assassin’s Creed Shadowshis mark has been present in every leap of faith of the franchise. But everything has an end: Ubisoft has confirmed it Côté leaves the company right when the company launches Vantage Studiesa new team partially supported by Tencent which will have the task of managing the iconic saga together with other important licenses.

According to the official statement, the march takes place after the “reorganization announced in March 2025”. Ubisoft thanks the producer for his “leadership, creativity and dedication” over all these years and wishes him “success in his new projects”. However, the circumstances have raised more questions than answers about the future of the saga.

Assassin’s Creed and the farewell of its main creator

In a leaked internal email from VGC, the company reveals this Côté rejected several offers continue to be part of the new management team. “You have decided to look towards new horizons,” the message explains. An elegant farewell, yes, but a leaving one Assassin’s Creed without the producer who contributed most to defining its modern course.

Marc-Alexis Côté started working at Ubisoft in 2005 as a software engineer, working on animated film adaptations for the PSP. In just three years he was already lead designer at Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhooda title that consolidated the open world model that would define the saga. Its rise continued until it became executive vice president of the franchise in 2022leading the project Assassin’s Creed Infinitya platform that sought to unify the universe of assassins under the same digital umbrella.

His last public movement was defend the developers of Assassin’s Creed Shadows after the wave of racist attacks the team received for including a samurai of African descent as its protagonist. Côté condemned “attacks fueled by intolerance,” making clear his commitment to diversity in video games.

The future under Vantage Studios

Ubisoft announced it Assassin’s Creed, Far cry Yes Rainbow you are will become managed by Vantage Studiesa new division partially funded by Tencent. The studio began operations on October 1, and while it’s certain that Ubisoft will retain “creative control,” the change marks a new era for the French publisher’s major franchises.

The idea behind Vantage is reduce centralized control and granting greater autonomy to development teams, an approach that could revitalize stagnant projects… or further fragment the label’s identity. For now, Ubisoft insists that “its talented teams will continue to build on the solid foundations” that Côté left behind.

Between tradition and uncertainty

Halfway through the launch year of Assassin’s Creed Shadowsthe departure of his main strategist leaves a void that is difficult to fill. Côté was not just a key internal figure; it was also the public face of the sagatasked with communicating his vision to fans and maintaining consistency across titles as diverse as they are Mirage or the next DLC set in Saudi Arabia.

The move also comes as an attempt by Ubisoft recover economic stability after years of ups and downs and cancellations. The entry of Tencent, which already owns significant shares of the company, suggests a bet on global expansionespecially towards Asian markets.

Although Ubisoft has made it clear that it still has creative control over the universe Assassin’s Creedthe financial environment and growing Chinese influence raise questions about the kinds of stories we will see in the coming years.

A legacy that is difficult to replicate

Few developers have marked a franchise as much as he has Marc-Alexis Côté. His combination of narrative vision, respect for history, and technological openness defined what we understand today Assassin’s Creed. With his departure, Ubisoft faces a new cycle full of possibilities, but also risks.

Perhaps Vantage Studios will manage to bring freshness to the saga, or perhaps the creed will lose some of its soul in the process. For now, it’s only clear that the Côté era has come to an end… and that Assassin’s Creed is preparing for another leap of faith.