Ubisoft has confirmed that Clint Hocking, the longtime creative director overseeing Assassin’s Creed Hexe, has departed the company. In his place, Jean Guesden—best known for directing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag—will now lead the project as creative director. The shift arrives amid a period of significant restructuring for Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed division, which has recently consolidated under a new leadership structure.
Hocking’s departure marks the latest in a series of high-profile changes for the franchise. His career at Ubisoft spanned nearly two decades, beginning with the original Splinter Cell* before he took the helm of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Far Cry 2, the latter of which remains celebrated for its bold open-world design. After leaving Ubisoft in 2010, he worked across studios including Valve and Amazon before returning in 2015. His most recent projects included Watch Dogs: Legion and, until now, Assassin’s Creed Hexe.
Little has been revealed about Hexe beyond its supernatural focus, though Ubisoft has emphasized that it will diverge sharply from recent entries like Shadows. The game’s development will now proceed under Guesden, who brings a deep understanding of the franchise’s historical and narrative traditions, having directed Black Flag and contributed to earlier titles. The announcement aligns with Ubisoft’s broader restructuring, which has seen the Assassin’s Creed team relocated to Vantage Studios—a new division led by veteran executives Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot.
This isn’t the first leadership upheaval for the franchise. Earlier this year, Marc-Alexis Côté, the former head of Assassin’s Creed, left Ubisoft amid reports of internal tensions, later filing a lawsuit alleging constructive dismissal. The current restructuring suggests Ubisoft is consolidating its creative direction under a more centralized model, with Guesden’s appointment signaling a renewed emphasis on the series’ signature blend of historical intrigue and supernatural elements.
While specifics about Hexe* remain scarce, Ubisoft’s CEO has previously hinted that the game will prioritize innovation over incremental progression. Whether this translates into a radical departure or a refined evolution of the series remains to be seen—but one thing is clear: the franchise’s future is now in the hands of a team with decades of combined experience.
