Assassin's Creed has new leadership taking the helm, and the names they're listing are nothing but promising

Since the recent layoffs and closure at Ubisoft, many of the studio's beloved franchises have been facing questions regarding their direction. Last week, another round of layoffs occurred at the Toronto office, the studio responsible for the next Splinter Cell game.

Needless to say, good news at Ubisoft has been hard to come by. At least, that was until today, when it was announced that a new leadership team would be taking on the Assassin's Creed franchise.

So, who are these people? That's the best part. Everyone listed next is are veterans of the franchise. People who know what’s worked and what hasn’t. People who are passionate about their craft and the stories they create.

The new leads are:

• Martin Schelling - Head of AC Brand
• Jean Guesdon - Head of Content
• François De Billy - Head of Production Excellence.

In a Reddit post, of all places, the Assassin’s Creed team announced the changes in detail coming to the top:

“We want to take a moment to share some important updates about the future of Assassin’s Creed. We know that what comes next has been a big topic within the community lately, and today, we can finally share some updates, starting with the introduction of newcomers to the leadership team that will shape the future of the franchise."

Martin Schelling, who has been appointed as Head of Brand, will be the leader of the franchise team, "as well as the overall strategy, long‑term vision, and development of Assassin's Creed. Martin previously worked as a Producer and Senior Producer on many defining titles in the series, including Revelations, Black Flag, Origins, and Valhalla."

I'm sorry, did they just say Black Flag? Sign him up twice! Next is Jean Guesdon, who has become Head of Content. He was also Creative Director for Black Flag and Origins, two of my favorite entries in the series! He'll be leading the creative direction of Assassin's Creed and shaping the future of the franchise.

Last, but not least, is François De Billy, the new Head of Production Excellence. This is where the real work gets made, as he'll be in charge of what many consider to have been issues within Ubisoft, production practices.

For years, it's been clear that there have been some ongoing issues with development at Ubisoft. With the years it took to release their AAAA Skull and Bones, and the cancellation of multiple projects like Heartland, something clearly needs to be tweaked.

An Update on the Future of Assassin’s Creed: Meet the New Leadership Team from r/assassinscreed

I know, I know, these studios are all separate, but I can almost guarantee developmental practices are similarly shared across the company. So anything done at one studio will most assuredly be translated in some capacity elsewhere.

What all of this means for Assassin’s Creed going forward is hopefully nothing but great, as the franchise has needed some new blood injected for quite a while. Anything like this being done at Ubisoft shows some resilience against their current situation and a confidence in their product as they double down on what originally made the publisher who they are today.

How do you feel about these leadership changes?

Do you think this will be enough to make the future of the franchise promising?

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