‘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.

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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…

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

Assassin's Creed Mirage Basim

It's time to ready your hidden blades once again, assassins, because a brand new entry in the Assassin's Creed series is upon us. All the leaks and rumors have turned out to be true, and the next installment in the franchise has been officially revealed as Assassin's Creed Mirage. This franchise has undergone some major changes in recent entries, and the next game seems poised to shake things up yet again.

First officially revealed during a Ubisoft Forward in September 2022, Assassin's Creed Mirage will be the next mainline game in the series after 2020's Assassin's Creed Valhalla. While each game typically only has smaller, less prominent ties to one another (at least after the series moved on from the Desmond arc), this game bucks the trend in that regard. From plot to gameplay changes and more, here's everything we know about Assassin's Creed Mirage, an upcoming PlayStation 5 game we have our eye on.
Release date

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage is coming out earlier than expected

Basim leaps at an enemy in Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Ubisoft revealed that Assassin's Creed Mirage will now release on October 5, a week earlier than originally intended.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is supposed to be a back-to-basics entry for Ubisoft's long-running action-adventure series. It was announced in 2022 and got an October 12 release date during the PlayStation Showcase in May. Now, just two months before the game was set to release, Ubisoft announced that it has moved the release of Assassin's Creed Mirage up by one week to October 5. This coincides with a tweet announcing that the game had "gone gold," which essentially means that development of the game is complete and Ubisoft's focus can turn to post-launch support.
https://twitter.com/Ubisoft/status/1691121970098700288
Delays are very common in this industry, and Ubisoft especially is no stranger to them; Skull & Bones is a prime example. That's why Assassin's Creed Mirage joins a rare group of games that actually come out earlier than originally expected. In 2022, we saw Xenoblade Chronicles 3 moved from September to July, while this year, Baldur's Gate 3's PC launch moved up from August 31 to August 3, which ended up being a much better release window for the game.
Although Ubisoft did not specifically state the reason for moving Assassin's Creed Mirage up, it wouldn't be surprising if the company wanted to give the game more space and attention ahead of other games coming out this October, like Forza Motorsport, Alan Wake 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Regardless, it's going to kick off one of the busiest months for game releases in 2023.
Assassin's Creed Mirage will launch for PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 5.

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage gameplay trailer shows a return to franchise roots

Assassin's Creed Mirage picture

Ubisoft showed off three new Assassin’s Creed games -- Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, Assassin’s Creed: Codename Jade, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage -- at the June 2023 Ubisoft Forward event.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR will release on Meta Quest 2, and players can play as three characters: Ezio, Cassandra, and Connor. Players can block, parry, counterattack, and duel with enemies in VR. There are also a variety of different weapons to choose from, such as hidden blades, swords, tomahawks, bows, crossbows, and throwing knives. The game will also feature comfort settings, like peripheral vision blocking and teleportation to mitigate nausea, vertigo, and fear of heights. It will release sometime during holiday 2023.