Former Assassin's Creed franchise executive producer Marc-Alexis Côté has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft in Quebec, demanding the equivalent of nearly $1 million in damages. The complaint centers on his high-profile exit from Ubisoft, alleging constructive dismissal.
Côté spent over 20 years at Ubisoft, most recently serving as Vice President and Executive Producer of the Assassin's Creed franchise, a role he assumed in March 2022. In October 2025, Ubisoft announced his departure from its leadership ranks, stating that he had been offered a position at its new Vantage Studios, which will oversee Assassin’s Creed and several other IPs moving forward, but declined the offer. Vantage co-CEO Christophe Derennes said he was "disappointed" by the decision at the time. Shortly afterward, Côté took to LinkedIn to challenge that narrative, writing: "I did not walk away. I stayed at my post until Ubisoft asked me to step aside." In the same post, he emphasized that he held "no resentment" over the circumstances surrounding his exit.
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Côté Reportedly Suing Ubisoft for CAD $1.3 Million
Côté is now understood to be suing Ubisoft, according to a January 16 report by Radio-Canada citing court documents. The former official is said to be seeking around CAD $1.3 million (~$930,000) in damages, including two years' worth of salary and CAD $75,000 (~$54,000) in moral damages. The filing alleges that the former Assassin's Creed boss departed Ubisoft as a result of constructive dismissal, forced to choose between a significantly diminished role and leaving the company altogether.
Côté's 'Unacceptable' Ubisoft Demotion Explained
Prior to Ubisoft launching Vantage Studios in partnership with Tencent, Côté was the top executive in charge of the Assassin's Creed franchise, reporting directly to CEO Yves Guillemot. Following the spin-off announcement, he was offered a role as head of production at Vantage—reporting to the head of franchise overseeing Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six, the three IPs under the new company's purview. Côté was reportedly not considered for the head of franchise role because it was based in France instead of Quebec. He contends that his influence "crumbled" after Vantage entered the picture and that he was forced to choose between an "unacceptable" demotion and losing his job.
Because Côté refused the new position, Ubisoft treated his departure as a resignation and did not provide severance pay. However, his attorneys argue that being forced to choose between a demotion and quitting constitutes constructive dismissal under Canadian employment law, entitling him to full severance. He is also seeking moral damages for what he claims is an attack on his reputation, as well as the lifting of a non-compete clause, which he claims restricts his job prospects amid an already weak hiring market, as per Radio-Canada's report.
Ubisoft positioned Vantage Studios as a creative hub aimed at streamlining decision-making around its flagship brands, sharing technical resources, and shortening the feedback loop between developers and players. The company also said the spin-off was meant to grant teams greater autonomy over their individual projects. The studio network brings together subsidiaries across multiple locations, including Barcelona, Quebec, Montreal, Sherbrooke, and Sofia, under a unified leadership structure. The joint venture was announced during a challenging period for Ubisoft, which had seen a string of big-budget projects underperform, with Star Wars Outlaws being the most recent example.
The creation of Vantage Studios also served as a strategic restructuring move and a source of financial support. Tencent invested €1.16 billion (~$1.35 billion) in exchange for approximately a 25% stake in the new subsidiary, providing a significant cash infusion while allowing Ubisoft to retain creative control over the joint venture. Ubisoft said the long-term goal of the initiative is to accelerate the growth of key franchises and establish a consistent pipeline of evergreen, multi-platform releases.