‘Assassin’s Creed’ creator Patrice Désilets parts ways with Ubisoft… again

By Michael Rougeau May 7, 2013

Patrice Desilets — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Patrice Désilets, game designer and creator of the Assassin’s Creed series, has left Ubisoft for the second time in his career. Désilets tells Polygon that he was fired, and that the termination was “baseless and without merit.” He goes on to say that he intends to “fight Ubisoft vigorously for my rights, for my team, and for my game.”

Ubisoft paints a slightly different picture in an official statement issued to Digital Trends. “The acquisition of THQ Montréal in January allowed Ubisoft to welcome 170 experienced developers, including Patrice Désilets, to our existing and renowned workforce,” the statement reads.

“Unfortunately, since the acquisition, the good faith discussions between Patrice and Ubisoft aimed at aligning Patrice’s and the studio’s visions have been inconclusive. As a result, Patrice has left the studio. Our priorities remain with the teams already hard at work on projects in development. They are at the root of Ubisoft Montréal’s past and future successes.”

Désilets joined THQ as a creative director 2011, roughly a year after leaving the post he held at Ubisoft when he co-created Assassin’s Creed. After THQ folded earlier this year, Ubisoft purchased the publisher’s Montreal properties, assets, and workforce, including Désilets. At the time, statements from Ubisoft indicated that the company was “pleased” to have Désilets back.

The Assassin’s Creed creator had been working on a mysterious new game dubbed “1666” at THQ and at Ubisoft after the acquisition. The status of that project is unknown at this time, though Ubi’s statement certainly suggests that any in-progress work will continue as before.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Action Games

Michael Rougeau

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…

Gaming

The best video games of November 2023: Super Mario RPG, Assassin’s Creed Nexus, and more

Princess Peach in Super Mario RPG.

After a hectic October and the lackluster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III becoming available on November 10, you might have felt like this outstanding year for games was finally wrapped up and that paying attention to new releases was less necessary. That feeling would be misguided, as plenty of outstanding games dropped this month. From new games tied to huge franchises like League of Legends and Mario to more experimental indie games and new IP, quite a few awesome games have flown under the radar this month.

In particular, the following seven games stuck out to us the most as the best video games released in November 2023. Give them a shot before the year ends; you might find one of them makes for a fine last-minute addition to your personal game of the year list.
Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR turned me into a sociopath (and I love it)

Ezio sneaks up on a guard with a crossbow in Assassin's Creed Nexus VR.

I’ve done a lot of memorable things in VR this year. I’ve climbed mountains, commanded hundreds of tiny people, and even paddled through the seas in a kayak. With Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, I get to add another virtual feat to that list: I’ve jumped down on top of an unsuspecting guard and plunged a hidden blade into his throat with pinpoint accuracy. And I’m a little worried about how delighted I am by that.

Ubisoft has been a long-time supporter of VR going back to early standouts like Eagle Flight, but Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR finds the publisher making its full leap of faith into the tech. It’s not another virtual “experience” based on one of its popular IPs, but rather a full-throated Assassin’s Creed game with just about everything you’d expect in its console counterpart. There’s sneaking, parkour, lock picking, pickpocketing, death-defying leaps, and even a wealth of collectibles hidden in small-scale recreations of historical locations. All that’s missing is the open-world glut -- and that’s arguably its best quality.

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Mirage ending explained: What happens to Basim, Nehal, and Roshan

Basim showing off his hidden blade in front of the Bagdad cityscape.

Assassins’ Creed Mirage is out now, bringing the series back to basics with a game focused on one of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s most intriguing characters. This adventure follows Basim as he goes from Anbar street thief to expert Assassin in Baghdad while hunting down members of The Order of the Ancients. As a prequel, there are some things about Basim as a character you might already know going in. Still, learning exactly how Basim stumbled upon these revelations is entertaining itself.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is shorter than other games in the series (at around 12 to 17 hours to complete), but most of the noteworthy reveals are saved for the story’s ending. If you want to know how Basim discovers who he truly is or just need to read a recap of the narrative’s major events, this is an overview of everything that happens in Assassin’s Creed Mirage and how it concludes in spectacular fashion.
How does Assassin’s Creed Mirage begin
Assassin’s Creed Mirage begins with a brief narration from modern-day Assassin Brotherhood Mentor William Miles. In the game’s only Animus-referencing narrative segment, he admits that he was worried people would learn the wrong lesson from Basim’s story. He now recognizes that his story “has much to teach us” and is now sharing it. He then sets the stage for its ninth-century Baghdad setting, the threat that is The Order of the Ancients, and Basim’s humble origins and eventual challenging of the Creed’s ideals.
This intro then transitions into a dream sequence for Basim, where a creepy jinni attacks him. Upon awakening, he’s comforted by his friend Nehal, and they set out to complete a contract for their friend Dervis in Anbar, a smaller city close to Baghdad. After pocketing some people and stealing a shipping ledger, Basim and Nehal learn that Dervis is working with a member of Hidden Ones named Roshan.
Roshan initially rejects Basim when he asks to come with her on a mission to retrieve a chest from the Caliph’s Winter Palace, but he and Nehal end up sneaking off and trying to get it anyway. Upon successfully infiltrating, they learn that the Caliph is working with The Order of the Ancients. They get to the chest and find a mysterious device inside it that gives him a vision of one man torturing another. The Caliph catches Basim doing this, and Nehal stabs and kills the Caliph.