Ubisoft is caught in a $1 million lawsuit by former Assassin’s Creed head over alleged forced firing

Marc-Alexis Côté, a former Ubisoft heavyweight, has filed a lawsuit with the Superior Court of Quebec regarding an alleged wrongful dismissal. Côté claims that Ubisoft engaged in “constructive dismissal” (employer breach of contract) and that Ubisoft had acted to provide him with an “unacceptable downgrade” which acted as a “disguised dismissal”. 

He has asked for $1.3 million (£0.97 million) in damages. 

During his 20-year stint at Ubisoft,  Côté oversaw the Assassin’s Creed franchise. However, he left Ubisoft back in October, as, coincidentally, Ubisoft launched a company backed by Chinese tech giant Tencent, Vantage Studios, to handle the franchise.

Côté has asked Ubisoft to offer severance pay due to the alleged constructive dismissal. Ubisoft, however, frames Côté’s departure as “voluntary.” This has meant that Ubisoft avoided paying severance pay and has maintained Côté’s non-compete agreement, both of which he is seeking to amend in the lawsuit. 

The court of public opinion

Côté offered his own account on LinkedIn shortly after he departed from Ubisoft back in October, where he wrote: 

“The truth is simple: I did not make that choice. Ubisoft decided to transfer the leadership of the Assassin’s Creed franchise to someone closer to its new organizational structure.

A different position was mentioned, but it did not carry the same scope, mandate, or continuity with the work I had been entrusted with in recent years.”

He added, “I did not walk away. I stayed at my post until Ubisoft asked me to step aside.”

Though opinions will vary on the validity of this claim, the timing, the hiring, and especially the firing practices of Ubisoft are potential causes for suspicion. The recent wave of Ubisoft layoffs and cancellation of future assassins creed games on dubious grounds indicates a willingness on Ubisoft’s part to place its bottom line before the concerns of its staff. 

It will be up to the courts, however, to assess the veracity of Côté’s claims.