Ubisoft’s Creative Director Shakeup: Clint Hocking Exits Assassin’s Creed Hexe Project

In a dramatic turn of events that has sent shockwaves through the gaming industry, Ubisoft has announced that Clint Hocking, the creative director of the highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed project codenamed “Hexe,” has departed the company after a 20-year tenure spanning two separate stints.

Hocking, a veteran game designer with an impressive portfolio including creative director roles on Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Far Cry 2, and Watch Dogs: Legion, was reportedly let go during a staff meeting earlier this week. The gaming community is buzzing with speculation about the reasons behind this sudden departure, though Ubisoft has remained tight-lipped about the specific circumstances.

According to sources at VGC who first broke the story, development on Hexe will continue uninterrupted. Jean Guedson, one of three new leaders recently appointed to oversee the Assassin’s Creed franchise, will step into the creative director role. Guedson brings considerable experience to the position, having previously served as creative director for Assassin’s Creed Origins and Black Flag—two of the franchise’s most critically acclaimed entries.

This latest shakeup comes as part of a broader pattern of turmoil at Ubisoft that has seen the company undergo massive restructuring, multiple rounds of layoffs, studio closures, and high-profile departures. The French gaming giant has been navigating choppy waters following a series of commercial disappointments and internal challenges.

Just last year, Ubisoft reorganized its corporate structure under a new “creative houses” system, with the first such entity—Vantage Studios—receiving a significant investment from Tencent and now overseeing the Assassin’s Creed franchise. This restructuring followed the departure of franchise head Marc-Alexis Côté, who later claimed he was “asked to step aside” and is now suing his former employer.

The company’s troubles have been well-documented: hundreds of layoffs across multiple studios, the closure of support studios, unionization efforts met with resistance, employee strikes protesting mandatory return-to-office policies, and even the controversial firing of an employee who publicly criticized the company’s RTO plan.

Despite these challenges, some aspects of Ubisoft’s leadership structure appear to be thriving. Notably, Charlie Guillemot, son of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, has been appointed co-CEO of Vantage Studios—a move that has raised eyebrows in the industry given the company’s ongoing restructuring efforts.

As the gaming world watches closely, questions remain about the future direction of the Assassin’s Creed franchise and whether these constant leadership changes will impact the quality and release schedule of upcoming titles. With Hexe’s development continuing under new leadership, fans and industry observers alike are eager to see how this latest chapter in Ubisoft’s turbulent history will unfold.

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