Former Assassin’s Creed Franchise Lead Marc Alexis Côté Sues Ubisoft for 1.3 Million CAD
Marc Alexis Côté, the former head of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise, has filed a lawsuit seeking 1.3 million CAD in damages, alleging constructive dismissal and claiming Ubisoft engineered his exit in a way that avoided severance obligations. The reporting originates from Radio Canada, with additional coverage stating the case was filed in Quebec’s Superior Court and that the total includes 2 years of salary plus 75,000 CAD in moral damages tied to alleged reputational harm.
The dispute traces back to Ubisoft’s restructuring around Vantage Studios, the subsidiary formed with Tencent to house major pillars including Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry. Ubisoft has publicly positioned Vantage Studios as a new operational home for these franchises, with Tencent’s investment structured as a minority economic stake while Ubisoft retains control.
According to the Radio Canada reporting summarized by multiple outlets, Côté alleges that in summer 2025 Ubisoft held discussions around a new head of franchise role within Vantage Studios that would absorb many of the responsibilities he previously held as franchise lead. He claims he was instead offered roles framed as reduced authority, including a head of production position reporting under the new head of franchise structure, followed by an alternative creative house role tied to second tier series oversight. In the lawsuit’s framing, these options amounted to an unacceptable demotion, and when he requested severance, Ubisoft allegedly treated his departure as voluntary, including messaging that he had chosen to pursue a new path.
A key operational ask in the filing is reportedly the lifting of his noncompete clause, which would allow him to pursue new opportunities elsewhere in the games industry if the court grants that relief.
From an industry lens, this lawsuit is not just an executive level employment dispute, it is a stress test of how large publishers manage leadership transitions during structural pivots, especially when governance shifts from a single franchise guardian model to a multi franchise portfolio model with new reporting layers. If the court accepts the constructive dismissal argument, it could influence how publishers document internal role changes and how they communicate exits when a senior leader declines a new position.
This also lands amid rising scrutiny on Ubisoft’s labor decisions in Canada. Earlier this month, CWA Canada filed a complaint with Nova Scotia’s Labour Board after Ubisoft shut down its Halifax studio and eliminated 71 roles shortly after a majority of workers unionized, with the union arguing the closure was retaliatory and Ubisoft disputing that narrative.
If Ubisoft responds publicly to Côté’s claims, the next update will likely hinge on how the company characterizes the role offers inside Vantage Studios, and whether it frames the transition as a standard reorg opportunity versus a forced step down.
Do you think franchise leadership roles should have severance protections when restructures remove core responsibilities, or is this simply the cost of executive mobility in modern AAA publishing?
