Marc-Alexis Côté, the longtime leader of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise, is taking the company to court over his departure from the company last year, accusing the French publisher of “constructive dismissal.”

The details:

Côté, who had worked on the Assassin's Creed series for nearly two decades as a designer, director, and producer, left Ubisoft in October 2025 following a series of disputes over his role as the IP was handed over to Tencent-backed subsidiary Vantage Studios. Co-CEOs Charlie Guillemot and Christophe Derennes issued a statement claiming that Côté had been offered a new leadership position but had declined and ultimately chose to leave Ubisoft, despite the veteran stating that he was "asked to step aside."
According to CBC Radio Canada, Côté has filed a $1.3 million lawsuit against Ubisoft, claiming that he was initially offered the role of “Head of Production,” which would’ve stripped him of his ability to lead strategic partnerships with high-profile companies such as Netflix and meant he would have to report to a new Franchise Lead. A second proposal to oversee a "Creative House" handling the company’s smaller franchises was also on the table.
Côté claims that he considered the offers but ultimately rejected them, as he viewed them as "unacceptable demotions," and formally demanded severance pay from Ubisoft. The company subsequently told him not to report for work on October 13 and announced his departure as a voluntary exit the following day.
The lawsuit accuses Ubisoft of intentionally referring to the departure as voluntary in order to avoid paying severance and to keep Côté's non-compete clause in effect. Côté is now seeking two years' salary in severance, $75,000 in moral damages for alleged abuse of power and reputational harm, and a court order to lift the non-compete restriction, totalling over $1.3 million.

Former Assassin's Creed boss Marc-Alexis Côté sues Ubisoft for $1.3 million, accusing publisher of a "disguised dismissal”