Assassin's Creed Hexe creative director Clint Hocking leaves Ubisoft, former Black Flag director Jean Guesden takes over as development continues under 'a seasoned team'

The leadership overhaul at Ubisoft appears to have claimed another Assassin's Creed stalwart, as Ubisoft has confirmed a VGC report that longtime veteran Clint Hocking, who was heading up the Assassin's Creed Hexe project, has left the company.

"Clint Hocking, creative director on Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe, will be departing Ubisoft," a spokesperson said in a statement provided to PC Gamer. "We sincerely thank him for his vision, creative contributions, and dedication over the years, and we wish him the very best in his next chapter.

"Development on Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe continues with a seasoned team. The game will deliver something distinctive within the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Jean Guesdon, head of content for the Assassin's Creed brand, is now acting as the creative director on the project."

Hocking's career began at Ubisoft on the original Splinter Cell, after which he served as creative director on Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and the celebrated Far Cry 2. He left Ubisoft in 2010, bouncing between LucasArts, Valve, and Amazon, before returning to Ubisoft in 2015. He was the creative director on Watch Dogs: Legion, and prior to his departure was working in the same role on Assassin's Creed Hexe.

Little is known about Hexe at this point: It will reportedly be a more supernatural-focused game than other entries in the series, and in 2024 Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said it "is going to be a very different game from Assassin's Creed Shadows," which was still in development at that point. "We're going to surprise people, I think."

But Ubisoft's restructuring has had a deep impact at the top of the Assassin's Creed food chain. The Assassin's Creed franchise is now being handled by Ubisoft's Vantage Studios division, headed up by Ubisoft veteran Christophe Derennes and Yves Guillemot offspring Charlie. In October 2025, former Assassin's Creed boss Marc-Alexis Côté left Ubisoft under a cloud, which a few months later resulted in a lawsuit against his former employers. Earlier this week, Ubisoft announced a trio of new Assassin's Creed bosses at Vantage, including Guesden, who it said will "steer the brand's ambitious new chapter."