Yves Guillemot: Several Assassin's Creed and Far Cry Games Are Currently in Development

Yves Guillemot: Several Assassin's Creed and Far Cry Games in Development

The head of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot, has publicly commented for the first time on the large-scale changes within the company and confirmed that several games in the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry franchises are currently in development.

In an interview with Variety, Guillemot discussed the company's current state, layoffs, employee protests, commented on the cancellation of the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, and the new "creative houses" strategy. Below are the key points.

• Several releases are being prepared in the Assassin's Creed universe—both single-player and multiplayer. The head emphasized that the brand continues to grow: last year, its audience exceeded 30 million people.
• Far Cry is not forgotten either. Guillemot stated that two "very promising" projects are in the works, and interest in the series from gamers remains high.
• According to Guillemot, the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six franchise is also gaining momentum: its daily audience has exceeded 2.5 million players, the Six Invitational tournament in Paris gathered an impressive online and offline audience, and the launch of the Chinese league and participation in the first Esports Nation Cup are expanding the brand's esports presence. Ubisoft presented plans for the eleventh year of support for Rainbow Six Siege and confirmed that Rainbow Six Mobile will be released worldwide on February 23.
• Guillemot stated that the acquisition of March of Giants from Amazon happened naturally and without lengthy negotiations: the team itself wanted to see Ubisoft among the contenders, which, according to the head, speaks to trust, especially since the team includes former developers of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. The company hasn't worked in the MOBA genre before, so it's betting on the new studio's experience in competitive multiplayer. The project has already shown itself during a public "alpha," and the publisher hopes to strengthen it with its global capabilities and service support. At the same time, Ubisoft does not plan mass acquisitions and will only consider deals that fit its long-term strategy and strengthen its own brands.
• The partnership with Tencent should strengthen Ubisoft's long-term growth, especially in Asia. The company emphasizes that Tencent has an excellent understanding of the specifics of the Chinese market and will help better adapt brands for the local audience, as well as act as a powerful distribution partner. Ubisoft sees great potential for scaling series like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six and expects that in China they can achieve metrics comparable to or even exceeding other key regions in terms of player numbers and revenue.
• Tencent's investments in Vantage Studios and Ubisoft itself are described by the company as strategic and long-term. However, the Eastern giant is not involved in operational management and does not influence day-to-day decisions. The publisher's autonomy is preserved, while the big Chinese brother shares expertise and provides access to a wide international network of partners.
• Ubisoft calls the AI experiment named Teammates part of its course towards innovations that should directly improve the gaming experience. The company emphasizes that artificial intelligence has long been used in game creation—it makes worlds more lively and rich, and now can allow systems to adapt to user behavior in real time. This opens the way to more personalized stories and enhances the feeling of engagement. The technology is still in its early stages but has already been handed over to internal teams. Now the studios themselves decide how to integrate the tool into their projects and creative plans.
• Concerns about job cuts due to AI are not shared at Ubisoft. Management believes that artificial intelligence complements creativity rather than replaces it: such tools should expand employees' capabilities, increase development flexibility, and help the company remain competitive.
• According to Guillemot, Rayman is one of the key franchises in the company's history. He emphasized that the series played an important role in Ubisoft's formation, which is why for its 30th anniversary they released Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition—a re-release of the original 1995 platformer. The company considers this release the first step towards the brand's return and notes that the hero still has its own devoted audience.
• The future of Rayman is being discussed cautiously for now. Ubisoft is exploring how to develop and reinterpret iconic brands for a new audience, but there are no specific announcements yet—more details about plans are promised later.
• The transition to the "creative houses" concept is needed primarily to give developers more autonomy and focus on their series. These groups are formed around brands with similar audiences and genres: teams with close expertise work together, better understand players, and build long-term relationships with the community.
• Each "creative house" will have full responsibility for the development of its franchises and financial results. Essentially, these are separate business units with a clear area of responsibility and creative freedom.
• "Creative houses" are primarily responsible for developing already known series—and their potential, in management's opinion, is huge. However, the new structure does not close the door to fresh ideas: teams work in familiar genres and formats but retain the right to propose their own concepts. If an idea looks promising, it is transferred to the division best suited for its implementation. The company has already confirmed that several new franchises are in production and promised to talk about them later.
• Vantage Studios, responsible for Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six, remains structured as a subsidiary with its own legal model and management.