Clint Hocking spent a total of 20 years at Ubisoft across two stints.
Add Engadget on GoogleClint Hocking was creative director for Watch Dogs Legion. (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) (ROBYN BECK via Getty Images)Ubisofts shakeups continue unabated. The creative director of the next Assassins Creed game, codenamed Hexe, has left the company. The departure of Clint Hocking, a 20-year veteran of the company over two stints, was reportedly announced in a staff meeting this week.
Hockings resume at Ubisoft included serving as creative director on Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Far Cry 2 and Watch Dogs: Legion. The details of why hes leaving the company havent been reported.
Ubisoft told VGC, which first reported on Hockings exit, that development on Hexe will continue. Jean Guedson, one of three new leaders of the Assassins Creed franchise, will take over as the upcoming titles new creative director. Guedson had the same role for Assassins Creed Origins and Black Flag, two of the franchises most well-received entries.
To say sailing hasnt been smooth of late at Ubisoft would be an understatement. Last year, the company reorganized its corporate structure under a system of "creative houses." The first, Vantage Studios, is partly owned by Tencent and now oversees Assassins Creed. Then in October, franchise head Marc-Alexis Côté left the company. He later claimed he was "asked to step aside" and is suing his former employer.
All of these changes came in the wake of layoffs, big-name flops, more layoffs, studio closures, even more layoffs, strikes and (yep) layoffs again. Earlier this month, Ubisoft even fired an employee who criticized the company’s return-to-office mandate.
But have no fear; some aspects of the company are doing quite well. Take, for example, nepotism. The future is looking bright indeed for a rising company star who is now co-CEO of Vantage Studios. That title belongs to Charlie Guillemot, the son of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.
