Assassin's Creed Has a New Leadership Team, But the Circumstances Behind It Are Messy

Three people. That's what Ubisoft's Vantage Studios has decided it takes to fill the shoes of Marc-Alexis Côté, the man who led Assassin's Creed for years before his messy, disputed exit last October.

The newly announced leadership trio consists of Martin Schelling as Head of the Assassin's Creed brand, Jean Guesdon stepping in as Head of Content, and François de Billy taking on a Head of Production Excellence role. All three are series veterans. Schelling has producer credits on Black Flag, Origins, and Valhalla, and was most recently Ubisoft's Chief Production Officer. Guesdon has been attached to the franchise since the very first game in 2007, working across more than a dozen entries. De Billy, meanwhile, served as Production Director on both Valhalla and Origins.

On paper, it's a solid lineup. In practice, the context around it is worth understanding.

The Côté situation

Côté didn't leave quietly. When Ubisoft announced his departure, the company framed it as his choice, telling staff he had "chosen to pursue a new path elsewhere outside of Ubisoft." Three days later, Côté posted on LinkedIn to set the record straight: "I did not make that choice." He said he was offered a position at Vantage Studios, but one that "did not carry the same scope, mandate, or continuity" with the work he had been doing.

That was October 2025. In January 2026, Côté filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft in the Superior Court of Quebec, seeking CAD $1.3 million in damages, roughly $935,000 USD. The suit alleges constructive dismissal, specifically that he was offered a deliberately degraded role to push him out without paying severance.

The details in that lawsuit are worth reading. Côté claims that in the summer of 2025, a Vantage Studios meeting revealed the company was looking for a new "Head of Franchise" to oversee Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. A role that, according to Côté, would have absorbed most of his responsibilities. He was instead offered "Head of Production," reporting to that new position. He called it an unacceptable demotion, requested severance, and says Ubisoft told him not to come in on October 13. The following day, the internal email went out describing his exit as voluntary.

Côté also alleges that CEO Yves Guillemot personally blocked him from applying for the Head of Franchise role because it needed to be based in France. Vantage Studios, for context, is co-led by Christophe Derennes (Guillemot's cousin) and Charlie Guillemot (his son). Ubisoft has declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Three veterans, a full pipeline

The timing of the new leadership announcement isn't random. Speaking to Variety last week, Yves Guillemot confirmed that "several" Assassin's Creed titles are currently in development, spanning both single-player and multiplayer. Insider Gaming has since reported that the Black Flag remake (internally known as Obsidian) and the multiplayer title Invictus are both scheduled to release later in 2026, while Assassin's Creed Hexe, the witchcraft-themed single-player entry, has been pushed to 2027.

Schelling, Guesdon, and de Billy will take on their new positions over the coming weeks. Whether their collective experience steadies a franchise that's been through significant internal turbulence is a question that won't be answered for a while yet. The pipeline looks busy. What the people steering it make of it all is another matter entirely.