Benoit Richer’s exit as game director of Assassin’s Creed Hexe marks the second major creative departure from Ubisoft Montreal’s flagship project in under three months, raising urgent questions about the studio’s ability to stabilize its most ambitious franchise reboot amid mounting pressure from live-service fatigue, talent retention crises, and a shifting console landscape where players demand innovation over iteration.
The Bottom Line
Ubisoft Hexe Servo Games
Benoit Richer left Ubisoft Montreal to co-found indie studio Servo Games, following Clint Hocking’s February exit from Hexe’s creative director role.
The back-to-back departures signal deepening instability in Ubisoft’s flagship Assassin’s Creed revival, coinciding with a 40% drop in player engagement for recent entries since 2023.
Industry analysts warn that repeated leadership turnover risks delaying Hexe beyond 2027, potentially ceding ground to rivals like Sony’s Ghost of Tsushima sequel and Microsoft’s upcoming Fable reboot.
The Revolving Door at Ubisoft Montreal: Why Hexe’s Leadership Keeps Walking Out
When Clint Hocking, the Splinter Cell veteran known for his narrative-driven design on Far Cry 2, departed Hexe in February 2026, Ubisoft framed it as a mutual decision to pursue “fresh creative horizons.” Internal sources later told Variety that Hocking had grown frustrated with shifting mandates from Paris leadership, particularly after the delayed launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows pushed Hexe’s timeline into 2027. Now, Benoit Richer’s LinkedIn announcement — citing a move to Quebec-based indie Servo Games as co-founder and game director — suggests a pattern: veteran talent is opting for creative autonomy over corporate stability. Richer, a 26-year Ubisoft veteran who helped shape Rainbow Six Siege’s tactical depth and Valhalla’s open-world systems, didn’t cite burnout but rather a desire to “build something from the ground up.” That sentiment echoes across Montreal’s studios, where a 2025 Bloomberg survey found 68% of senior developers felt “creatively stifled” by Ubisoft’s pivot toward live-service monetization.
Ubisoft Hexe Servo Games
How Hexe’s Turmoil Reflects the AAA Industry’s Talent Exodus
Ubisoft’s struggle to retain visionary directors isn’t isolated — it mirrors a broader hemorrhage of talent from AAA publishers to indie and mid-tier studios. Since 2023, over 1,200 senior developers have left major publishers like EA, Activision, and Take-Two for studios under 200 people, according to GDC Vault data. The driving forces? Creative fatigue from franchise sequels, crunch culture resurgence post-pandemic, and the allure of equity in smaller studios where designers can own IP. Richer’s move to Servo Games — a studio founded by former Ubisoft Montreal producers working on a narrative-driven stealth title rumored to rival Deus Ex — highlights how veterans are betting that innovation thrives outside the safety nets of billion-dollar franchises. As Michael Pachter, managing director at Wedbush Securities, told us in a recent interview: “When directors like Hocking and Richer leave, it’s not just about one game. It signals that the AAA model is burning out its best talent faster than it can replace them. Ubisoft’s stock has underperformed the sector by 22% over 18 months — investors are starting to notice the leadership instability.”
The Stakes: Why Hexe’s Delay Could Reshape Ubisoft’s Future
Assassin’s Creed Hexe was positioned as the franchise’s boldest reinvention since Origins — a plague-era, witch-hunt narrative set in 16th-century Germany, promising stealth mechanics inspired by historical occult texts and a departure from the RPG-lite formula of recent entries. Announced alongside Infinity (now Animus Hub) in 2022, Hexe was meant to be Ubisoft’s answer to growing calls for narrative focus in open-world design. But with both its original creative director and game director gone within six months, and no public confirmation of a successor, the project risks joining the growing list of Ubisoft delays that have eroded consumer trust. Shadows, released in March 2026 to mixed reviews, sold 4.2 million copies in its first month — down 35% from Valhalla’s launch window — according to MarketWatch. If Hexe slips past 2027, Ubisoft faces a gap year in its flagship IP, a dangerous prospect as Sony’s Ghost of Tsushima sequel and Nintendo’s Zelda: Echoes of the Eye prepare to dominate holiday 2026. Worse, the studio’s reliance on live-service monetization through Animus Hub has yet to prove profitable, with quarterly reports showing subscription uptake below 15% of active players.
All the Assassin's Creed Announcements (Assassin's Creed Mirage, Red, Hexe, Infinity and Netflix)
What Analysts Are Saying: The Bigger Picture Behind the Headlines
The real issue isn’t just losing directors — it’s that Ubisoft’s creative pipeline has become too top-heavy. When you lose two visionaries in a row on a single project, it suggests the problem isn’t the people; it’s the process.
Ubisoft Hexe Assassin
Assassin’s Creed needs a Breath of the Wild moment — a radical reinvention that recenters gameplay over revenue streams. Right now, Hexe feels like it’s being designed by committee, not by directors with a clear vision.
The Path Forward: Can Ubisoft Rebuild Trust Before Hexe Launches?
Ubisoft’s next move will be watched closely — not just by fans, but by investors still reeling from a 2025 proxy battle led by activist investor Elliott Management, which demanded cost cuts and a strategic review of underperforming IPs. To stabilize Hexe, the studio must do more than name a replacement; it must signal a shift in philosophy. Promoting Jean Guesdon — who stepped in after Hocking’s exit — to a permanent role could provide continuity, but only if he’s given authentic creative authority, not just a title. Meanwhile, Richer’s departure to Servo Games serves as a quiet rebuke: the most talented designers aren’t leaving the industry — they’re leaving the AAA machine. For Ubisoft to win them back, it won’t capture bigger budgets. It’ll take trust.
As we approach E3 2026, the question isn’t just whether Hexe will survive its leadership crisis. It’s whether Ubisoft can remember what made Assassin’s Creed revolutionary in the first place: not the scale of its maps, but the courage to let its creators take risks.
What do you think — is Hexe still worth waiting for, or has the magic already left the building? Drop your thoughts below; we’re reading every comment.
Senior Editor, Entertainment
Marina is a celebrated pop culture columnist and recipient of multiple media awards. She curates engaging stories about film, music, television, and celebrity news, always with a fresh and authoritative voice.
