The internal upheavals at Ubisoft aren’t sparing Assassin’s Creed either. Within just a few months, the upcoming installment, *Witch*, has lost its second lead developer—and fantasy elements are being cut.
Ubisoft just can’t catch a break. After several poor fiscal years, management launched an internal restructuring of the company at the end of 2024. Many projects were put under scrutiny, several games were canceled, and hundreds of developers were laid off. In early 2026, the executive team led by company founder Yves Guillemot announced a new corporate structure.
From now on, all of the publisher’s brands will bemanaged within theme-specific Creative Houses, which are intended to respond more quickly than before to market demands.
As part of this, many executives within the studios and franchises were also replaced, as the new business model apparently did not go down well with all employees.
For instance, Marc-Alexis Côté, the longtime creative director behind Assassin’s Creed, left the company at the end of 2025 and was replaced by three new franchise heads, including the new head of content, Jean Guesdon.
Ubisoft just can’t catch a break. After several poor fiscal years, management launched an internal restructuring of the company in late 2024. Many projects were put under review, several games were canceled, and hundreds of developers were laid off. In early 2026, the executive team led by company founder Yves Guillemot announced a new corporate structure.
All of the publisher’s brands will henceforthbe managed within theme-specific Creative Houses, which are intended to respond more quickly than before to market demands.
As part of this, many executives within the studios and franchises were also replaced, as the new business model apparently did not meet with approval from all employees.
For example, Marc-Alexis Côté, the long-time creative director behind Assassin’s Creed, left the company at the end of 2025 and was replaced by three new franchise heads, including the new head of content, Jean Guesdon.
And according to recent reports, things don’t seem to be going smoothly with the next full-fledged installment in the series, the project with thecodename Hexe either.
After Creative Director Clint Hocking threw in the towel in February of this year, nowaccording to IGN his colleague, Game Director Benoit Richer, has also quit –the second departure at the director levelfrom the project within just a few months!
Internal conflicts over the direction of Hexe
Internally, there appears to be a dispute over the creative direction of the new Assassin’s Creed. While the previous leaders apparently wanted to incorporate fantasy elements such as witchcraft into the game, the new Creative Director Jean Guesdon, who stepped in for Clint Hocking in February, wants to steer the game back toward a more grounded Assassin’s Creed setting.
Specifically, this means:Magic is likely out. According to the usually well-informed Ubisoft insiderxj0nathanFor example, there was originally supposed to be the ability to remotely control a cat to bypass guards and scout areas. This mechanic has since been removed.
If you want a little behind-the-scenes info about the game (which might be related to this departure), it’s that since Jean Guesdon was put in charge of the Assassin’s Creed franchise in February, he decided to cut everything that was “magical” in Hexe. For example, we were supposed to…
— j0nathan (@xj0nathan) April 24, 2026
According to the insider, however, the decision to cut the content wasn’t solely about the game’s overall direction. The magic mechanics were apparently simply not yet fully developed andwould have required a lot more work. The decision was therefore likely made to speed up the release of Hexe overall.
There is no specific date for this yet. Internally, however, Ubisoft is reportedly working flat out on development. So far, what is known about Hexe is that it is set in Central Europe—possibly even modern-day Germany—during the time of the witch hunts (between 1550 and 1650). According to earlier leaks, the protagonist Elsa was actually supposed to be able to cast spells. However, that is now likely history.
Next up for the Assassin’s Creed franchise, however, is a trip to the Caribbean. Black Flag Resynced, the remake of the acclaimed fourth installment in the series centered on pirate captain Edward Kenway, is set to release on July 9, 2026. Additionally, rumors are currently swirling that Ubisoft is working on at least one more remake of an older installment in the series. In the link box above, you’ll find more recent stories about AC.