A former lead of the Assassin's Creed series has filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft, citing "constructive dismissal"

Marc-Alexis Côté, who was a leading figure in the Assassin's Creed series, has taken legal action against Ubisoft, demanding CAD $1.3 million for what he describes as "constructive dismissal."

According to a report by CBC Radio Canada, Côté is seeking two years of severance alongside CAD $75,000 in compensation, following Ubisoft's announcement of his "voluntary" departure from the company last October.

Côté has countered this claim by stating he did not choose to leave, alleging that Ubisoft made the decision to appoint new leadership for the Assassin's Creed series.

On LinkedIn, he detailed that he was offered a different role that did not align with the responsibilities he held previously. This new position lacked the scope and continuity of his previous role.

The lawsuit alleges that during the creation of Vantage Studios, a subsidiary backed by Tencent, Ubisoft intended to recruit a 'head of franchise' for key titles such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six.

Côté's lawsuit asserts that he was not in consideration for this position since it required relocating to France from Quebec, which he was not prepared to do.

Instead, Côté was reportedly offered the chance to become the 'head of production,' reporting to the new 'head of franchise,' or to lead a smaller creative division for another Ubisoft franchise, both of which he rejected.

Côté viewed these offers as an unsuitable decrease in responsibility, effectively a camouflaged termination.

He contends that Ubisoft owed him severance pay to finalize his departure. However, he claims, the company delayed a formal response before announcing his "voluntary" exit both internally and publicly.

According to Côté, Ubisoft's stance on his departure was to evade paying severance and keep his non-compete agreement in effect, which he has requested the court annul.

GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to both Ubisoft and Côté for their statements on the matter.