What would gaming be like if we didn't have some intrigue and politics mixed up with our entertainment products? Patrice Désilets, who used to work for Ubisoft as creative lead on Assassin's Creed and AC2, has according to Polygon been sacked by Ubisoft.
"The acquisition of THQ Montréal in January allowed Ubisoft to welcome 170 experienced developers, including Patrice Désilets, to our existing and renowned workforce. 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."
This isn't the first time Patrice has parted with Ubisoft. Back in June 2010, he left Ubisoft to take a "creative break" from the industry. A year later, he joined THQ Montreal to work on two upcoming games, Amsterdam: 1666 and Underdog. After THQ went under earlier this year, and Ubisoft bought up the Montreal-based studio, Patrice again joined Ubisoft in March. Apparently, the story couldn't just come full circle and have a happy ending there. Though Ubisoft's PR statement says they parted on good terms, Patrice himself does not agree.
"Contrary to any statements made earlier today, this morning I was terminated by Ubisoft. I was notified of this termination in person, handed a termination notice and was unceremoniously escorted out of the building by two guards without being able to say goodbye to my team or collect my personal belongings," Patrice disgruntledly explains to Polygon. "This was not my decision."
According to GameInformer who have also reported on the incident, rumor has it that the two games Désilets and his Montreal team worked on together, have been cancelled.
Though nobody can know anything for certain, it seems to me that this "creative break" Patrice took in 2010 could've been more than just a voluntary break. It may be that his views and methods did not align very well with Ubisoft's visions, so they got rid of him as soon as possible. But if that's the case, why did Désilets even "re-join" Ubisoft to begin with?
