Assassin's Creed Art Director Leaves Ubisoft After 16 Years, Joins Jade Raymond's New Studio

The art director for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series is leaving the company after 16 years. Raphael Lacoste announced on Twitter that he's leaving Ubisoft to "set sails on a new adventure..." He subsequently announced that he's joining former Ubisoft teammate Jade Raymond at her new studio, Haven, which is working with PlayStation on a new IP.

Lacoste thanked the Assassin's Creed community, the other creatives he's worked with over the years, and Ubisoft in general for helping achieve what he did at the company.

"I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart our wonderful community and the incredible talents I've had the chance to collaborate with, over these amazing years," he said. "Thank you too, Ubisoft, for your trust and the fantastic projects we brought to life together! Bye for now, these years will remain unforgettable."

Lacoste worked on the very first Assassin's Creed game in 2007 and, as he said in his tweet, he worked on eight different assassins, though it's not exactly clear if he means games or characters. Whatever the case, he made a mark on the series in a significant way.

He is the latest franchise veteran to leave Ubisoft in recent months, following the departure of Assassin's Creed Valhalla's narrative director Darby McDevitt and game director Eric Baptizat.

A spokesperson for Ubisoft told Axios that the turnover rate at Ubisoft is "in line with video game industry averages."

In other news, Ubisoft will continue to support Assassin's Creed Valhalla with more expansions in the future, while work is beginning on an ambitious-sounding live service game called Assassin's Creed Infinity.