Assassin's Creed creator settles his lawsuit against Ubisoft

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Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Desilets' history with Ubisoft hasn't been entirely smooth and happy. In 2010, he left Ubisoft Montreal “to take a creative break from the industry,” as Ubi told GameInformer, and when he returned it was not to the warm embrace of his former employer but rather to THQ. When THQ collapsed, Ubisoft bought out its Montreal studio—Désilets included—and acquired control of 1666 Amsterdam, the project he was working on the time. Then it fired him.

“This agreement is good news for everyone,” Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat said. “Ubisoft's creative teams are currently working on innovative projects that will mark our industry for years to come. This is precisely where we want to focus our energy, on our teams, to continue what we have been building in Quebec for nearly 20 years.”

Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I think I detect a slight whiff of sour grapes in that statement, specifically the implication that Ubi is only giving up the property because it doesn't have the resources to do anything with it in the foreseeable future. In any case, each side wished the other well, as you do, and that's the end of that. But those of you expecting a quick revival of the game might want to dial back your expectations, because Désilets' hands are apparently full right now too.

“I will now devote myself entirely to the development of Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, my next game with Panache Digital Games,” he said. “This is what matters most to me today: Making the best games and showing the world the creative talent of Quebecers.”

Ancestors, according to the description at the Panache Games website, is a third-person action-adventure survival game that will let players “relive the greatest moments of mankind with a documentary twist.” There's not much more than that to see, though, and the site is hurting for updates, too: It currently promises “much more to come in 2015.”

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Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.