Ubisoft reorganization leads to departure of chief creative officer

Ubisoft's chief creative officer Igor Manceau will be leaving the company at the end of November, reports Kotaku. In an companywide email obtained from CEO Yves Guillemot, Manceau's departing is part of a larger change to the publisher's overall creative department. 

"Igor has expressed his desire to step away from Ubisoft," wrote Guillemot in the email. His email continued that Ubisoft's current reorganization will "simplify" how projects are overseen through development, thereby allowing for further flexibility.

Manceau, who has worked at Ubisoft since 1998 and directed Riders Republic, stepped into the role in September 2021 as a replacement for his predecessor Serge Hascoët. Hascoët served as head of editorial before he and other executives left in 2020 following allegations of misconduct.

"From now until his departure end of November, Igor will be dedicated to accompanying the evolution of the structure into specific poles organized by key segments for Ubisoft," continued Guillemot, "so that it is better adapted to the variety of our portfolio and unique needs of each project.”

The email reportedly didn't name who would come to replace Manceau as CCO, or if his role will be replaced at all. 

When Manceau was first appointed as CCO last year, it was with the express purpose of widening the range of Ubisoft's portfolio. His leaving also comes as several big Ubisoft's titles, such as Skull & Bones and Assassin's Creed Mirage, have been delayed to 2023.

At the time of Manceau's hiring last year, pro-worker group A Better Ubisoft told Game Developer that it hoped his tenure would involve "taking meaningful steps to repair the damage done by his predecessor."