Patrice Désilets, the creative mind behind the Assassin’s Creed series, is suing Ubisoft for approximately $US400,000 and control of of the game 1666, which he had been building for THQ until it went bankrupt and sold the project to his former employer.
Last month, Désilets claimed he was fired from Ubisoft, the publisher for whom he had worked with until 2010, when Désilets decided to leave Ubisoft for THQ. When THQ went bust, its assets were sold off to various other studios, including 1666 back to Ubisoft, seemingly taking Désilets along with it. According to the filing, first reported by La Presse of Montreal, creative control appeared to be a fundamental sticking point in their relationship.
The suit says that Désilets’ agreement with THQ guaranteed him a certain amount of creative control over the title 1666. Ubisoft sought an amendment to the contract, and when negotiations broke down, Désilets was fired on May 7. Désilets’ departure was at first given a sanitised description by Ubisoft, which read: “Patrice has left the studio.”
Désilets himself later said he was terminated and escorted from his workplace by building security. His suit against Ubisoft seeks $US400,000, $US250,000 of which is a year of his base salary and another $US100,000 in “moral damages”. He also seeks to enforce a clause in his contract with THQ that allows him the right to acquire 1666.
Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot later went on to tell investors that, following the breakdown in negotiations with Désilets, “we have suspended 1666 for an undisclosed period of time.”
To fellow gaming news source Game Informer, Ubisoft quoted:
“We received Patrice’s legal request and we will take the time needed to evaluate our options. We will make no further comment at this point.”
[La Presse, via Game Informer]
