AC Hexe Loses Second Director in Two Months

Assassin’s Creed Hexe has lost its game director, Benoit Richer. He left Ubisoft just months after creative director Clint Hocking departed the project. This marks the second high-profile exit from the title in a matter of months, as reported by IGN.

Richer’s exit comes during a tumultuous development period for Hexe, which is set during darker witch trials in the Assassin’s Creed universe. Ubisoft first teased the game at its September 2022 forward showcase. With two senior creative leads gone in quick succession, questions arise about the project’s direction and overall stability.

Hocking, a seasoned designer with a history of work on Far Cry 2 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, was the creative director before he left earlier this year. Losing two top leaders like this often signals a need for development restarts or major scope changes. Both scenarios can be costly, especially for a publisher already facing financial pressures.

Heading into 2025, Ubisoft’s situation looks shaky. The company has delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows multiple times, pushing its release to March 20, 2025. Since late 2024, Ubisoft has been cutting costs, closing studios, and restructuring operations. Losing director-level talent on its next major franchise entry only adds to these challenges, as Gadgets 360 reported.

Despite accumulating 334 million hours of gameplay and 4 billion enemies killed in its first six weeks, Shadows has faced ongoing criticism over its DLC monetization. The franchise’s commercial success gives Ubisoft some breathing room to continue developing Hexe. However, industry observers at TweakTown point out that two director exits in such a short time don’t suggest a smoothly running project. No replacements for either role have been announced yet.

By The Numbers

AC Shadows enemies killed (first 6 weeks)	4 billion
AC Shadows hours played	334 million
AC Shadows cats petted	26 million
Director-level departures from Hexe	2 in ~2 months
Years since Hexe was first teased	~3 (announced Sept. 2022)

Player sentiment toward the broader franchise isn’t great. One Steam reviewer captured a common frustration: “Avoid. If you hunt to get 100% completions, prepare to shell out $90 USD in DLC to get the last achievement for that hundo.” With community goodwill already waning, Hexe will need a smooth and confident development run to regain enthusiasm. Unfortunately, two director exits in quick succession don’t project that stability.

What To Watch

• Replacement announcements: Ubisoft hasn’t yet named successors for either Hocking or Richer. Keep an eye on any hiring moves at Ubisoft Montreal that could indicate who will guide Hexe’s creative vision moving forward.
• Scope and release window: Leadership changes often come before formal announcements of delays or redesigns. Any updates on Hexe’s development status at a future Ubisoft showcase should be interpreted carefully.
• Ubisoft’s broader restructuring: The company’s ongoing cost-cutting and studio consolidation efforts might impact Hexe’s future. If Ubisoft decides to focus on fewer, larger projects, a troubled title without a director could become a casualty.