It seems like Ubisoft keeps finding itself in troublesome situations, and this time it’s the former head behind the Assassin’s Creed franchise who has a bone to pick with the company. What was once a glorious video game legacy keeps getting tarnished with weird controversies.
Marc-Alexis Côté was the head behind a lot of the fan-favorite Assassin’s Creed games. Ubisoft had formerly announced that he was departing from the company and his position. Months later, in an heartfelt LinkedIn post, Côté announced that he was asked to ‘step aside’ from his role.
“The truth is simple: I did not make that choice.” He wrote while addressing all the heartfelt messages of support that his fans wrote and sent to him after his departure. Côté also took the chance to thank his teams while claiming, “I did not walk away. I stayed at my post until Ubisoft asked me to step aside.”
According to a new report from Radio Canada, he is now seeking legal procedures to hold Ubisoft accountable in court and charge them for unpaid severance and other obligations. The lawsuit claimed at the Superior Court of Quebec stands at around $1.3 against moral damages.
Details of the lawsuit gives us the whole picture
The contents of the lawsuit include a timeline of over two years of salary and other charges. It is stated in the reports that Tencent, being the new subsidiary, was looking to replace the boss of major franchises at Ubisoft. Côté was not one to be heading things anymore.
Rather, he was being offered the position of ‘head of production’, which would in turn result in a demotion and make him answer to someone above in the development pipeline. Ubisoft sent Côté an ultimatum asking for a decision, but he simply demanded his severance.
Ubisoft reportedly sent him away from work starting October 13th and addressed the press the next day that Côté was leaving his position. His demands were never addressed according to the imminent details.
Marc-Alexis Côté had an impactful career and influence on Ubisoft’s games, starting back in 2010 when the world was in the middle of experiencing the Ezio trilogy of Assassin’s Creed games.
Ubisoft has been in a dire situation with the franchise in recent years, struggling to find proper direction, which became more evident with the abysmal reception of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows crossover with Attack on Titan.
