The next mainline Assassin"s Creed game after Shadows was announced back in 2024, which is to be mystery RPG project (codenamed Hexe) set during the witch trials. However, among all the shakeups happening within the company, Ubisoft has now confirmed that the Assassin"s Creed Hexe creative director, Clint Hocking, has left the company.
Prior to leading Hexe"s development, Hocking worked on Tom Clancy"s Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, and Far Cry 2 during his first stint with Ubisoft. Later he went on to work at studios such as Valve, Amazon, and LucasArts before returning to Ubisoft to lead Watch Dogs: Legion development.
"We sincerely thank [Clint] for his vision, creative contributions, and dedication over the years, and we wish him the very best in his next chapter," a Ubisoft spokesperson told VGC today, confirming the departure. "Development on Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe continues with a seasoned team."
The change comes only days after Ubisoft made major changes to the internal Assassin"s Creed development team structure. This saw Martin Schelling, Jean Guesdon, and François de Billy moving to leadership roles for the entire franchise, a trio that has experience developing and shipping blockbusters like Black Flag, Origins, and Valhalla.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot also confirmed recently that multiple Assassin"s Creed (and Far Cry) games are in development. Other than Hexe, this is said to include a multiplayer experience and the long-rumored Black Flag remake. None of the projects have release windows attached to them just yet.
"The game will deliver something distinctive within the Assassin’s Creed franchise," Ubisoft had added regarding Hexe. "We look forward to sharing more information in the future."
The company has been having a tough year so far, with major project cancelations and multiple layoff waves already confirmed. Hocking isn"t the only major departure from Ubisoft recently either, with The Division series boss Julian Gerighty also leaving the studio in January to join EA"s Battlefield Studios.