previous Assassin's Creed Franchise executive producer Marc-Alexis Côté reportedly filed the lawsuit. Ubisoft Quebec is seeking nearly $1 million in damages. The complaint centers on a high-profile departure from Ubisoft, alleging constructive dismissal.
Côté has worked at Ubisoft for over 20 years, most recently serving as Vice President and Executive Producer at Ubisoft. Assassin's Creed In March 2022, he assumed the franchise role. In October 2025, Ubisoft announced that he was stepping down from his leadership position and had been offered a position at the new Vantage Studios. Assassin's Creed And several other IPs have come forward but have rejected the offer. Christophe Derennes, Vantage's co-CEO, said at the time he was “disappointed” with the decision. Shortly after, Côté took to LinkedIn to challenge this story, writing: “I didn’t leave. I stayed in my place until Ubisoft asked me to step down.” In the same post, he emphasized that he “holds no grudges” about the circumstances surrounding his departure.
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Côté reportedly sued Ubisoft for $1.3 million CAD.
Côté has now reportedly sued Ubisoft, according to a January 16 report from Radio-Canada citing court documents. The former civil servant is reportedly seeking approximately CAD 1.3 million (~$930,000) in damages, including two years' wages and CAD 75,000 (~$54,000) in emotional damages. The filing claims that the former: Assassin's Creed The boss left Ubisoft as a result of constructive dismissal, forcing him to choose between a significantly reduced role or leaving the company altogether.
Côté describes Ubisoft's demotion as 'unacceptable'
Before Ubisoft teamed up with Tencent to launch Vantage Studios, Côté Assassin's Creed Franchise, reporting directly to CEO Yves Guillemot. Following the announcement of the spin-off, he was offered the role of Head of Production for Vantage, reporting to the Director of Franchise Oversight. Assassin's Creed, Far Cryand rainbow sixThese are the three IPs that fall under the purview of the new company. Côté was reportedly not considered for the franchise role because he is based in France and not Quebec. He claims his influence was “crumbled” after Vantage arrived and that he was forced to choose between an “unacceptable” demotion and losing his job.
Because Côté declined the new position, Ubisoft treated his departure as a resignation and did not offer him severance pay. But his lawyers argue that being forced to choose between a demotion and resignation constitutes constructive dismissal under Canadian employment law and could result in his outright retirement. He is also seeking moral damages for what he says is an attack on his reputation, and the lifting of a non-compete clause that limits his job prospects amid an already weak job market, according to a report by Radio-Canada.
Ubisoft has positioned Vantage Studios as a creative hub aimed at streamlining decision-making for its flagship brands, sharing technical resources, and shortening the feedback loop between developers and players. The company also said the spinoff was intended to give the team greater autonomy over individual projects. The studio network brings together subsidiaries in multiple locations, including Barcelona, Quebec, Montreal, Sherbrooke and Sofia, into a unified leadership structure. The joint venture was announced at a difficult time for Ubisoft, which has seen a series of big-budget projects underperform. star wars outlaw This is the most recent example.
The creation of Vantage Studios was both a strategic restructuring move and a source of financial support. Tencent invested 1.16 billion euros (about $1.35 billion) in exchange for a roughly 25% stake in the new subsidiary, giving Ubisoft a significant cash infusion while allowing it to retain creative control over the joint venture. Ubisoft said the long-term goal of this initiative is to accelerate the growth of key franchises and build a consistent pipeline of ongoing multi-platform releases.
