Former 'Assassin's Creed' Boss Sues Ubisoft For Around $1 Million

Former Assassin’s Creed boss Marc-Alexis Côté is suing Ubisoft for around $1 million claiming he is the victim of a “disguised dismissal.”

Radio Canada reports that Côté is “demanding two years’ salary” as well as “$75,000 in moral damages for what he considers to be an abuse of power and reputational damage.”

Additionally, Côté wants the court dismiss the non-competition clause he’s currently bound by noting it restricts employment opportunities in the video game industry.

While he’s filed the lawsuit, it appears the end goal is to settle with Ubisoft. His lawyer Catherine Asselin Jobin told the outlet, “Mr. Côté hopes for a negotiated, rapid and satisfactory outcome to the situation in question.”

An email from Ubisoft subsidiary Vantage Studios co-CEOs Charlie Guillemot and Christophe Derennes, that was obtained by VGC claimed that Côté departed the company voluntarily. The email stated, “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.”

An Ubisoft spokesman also informed VGC, “Following the organizational restructuring announced in March 2025, Marc-Alexis Côté has chosen to pursue a new path elsewhere outside of Ubisoft. 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,” the spokesman concluded.

However, Côté posted to LinkedIn, where he said it was not his choice to leave and he stayed at his post until Ubisoft asked him to step aside.

He wrote, “Many of you have expressed surprise that I would choose to leave Assassin’s Creed after so many years, especially given the passion I still hold for it.
The truth is simple: I did not make that choice.”

“Ubisoft decided to transfer the leadership of the Assassin’s Creed franchise to someone closer to its new organizational structure,” he explained. “A different position was mentioned, but it did not carry the same scope, mandate, or continuity with the work I had been entrusted with in recent years.”

“I want to be clear that I hold no resentment. Ubisoft has been my home for all my professional life, and I will always be grateful for the people, the projects, and the belief that together we could create worlds that inspire millions. But I also owe it to my teams, past and present, to say this plainly: I did not walk away. I stayed at my post until Ubisoft asked me to step aside.”

Finally, he concluded, “As someone who grew up inspired by Star Trek (TNG!), in the later years of my career I came to see myself as the captain of the Assassin’s Creed ship, someone who leaves only once every soul on board is safe. And that is exactly what I have done for as long as I could.”

According to the report from Radio Canada on the lawsuit, Côté was offered to take on the role Head of Production at Vantage Studios that would report to the Head of Franchise. The Head of Franchise was a new position created to oversee the company’s three franchises that includes Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Allegedly this role would take on a number of the responsibilities that Côté had as Vice-President Executive Producer for Assassin’s Creed.

Côté viewed the Head of Production as a demotion given he previously reported directly to the company’s CEO Yves Guillemot and he would not be given the opportunity to be Head of Franchise since it was to be located in France, not in Canada. Additionally, the report claims he would lose out on being the “privileged interlocutor with important partners, such as Netflix.”

Discussions continued with Ubisoft even offering to give him the head of one of their other four Creative Houses, or subsidiaries the company is creating to house its various studios and franchises.

Nevertheless, he saw this as a demotion too and was reportedly “disoriented, confused and affected by the anxiety-provoking situation” that he took two weeks off to reflect. After the two weeks he reportedly informed Ubisoft to pay him severance. The next day, Ubisoft announced he was departing voluntarily. Côté and his legal team claim this was a “strategy to avoid paying him compensation and maintain the applicable non-competition clause.”

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