Assassin’s Creed creator opens new studio

Assassin’s Creed creative director Patrice Désilets has started up a new studio in Montreal.

The launch of Panache Digital Games follows the developer’s unplanned departure from Ubisoft in May last year. Désilets started off at Ubisoft before joining THQ Montréal, but ended up back at Ubisoft when THQ went under.

He was subsequently fired by Ubisoft two months later and the project he had been working on, 1666, was placed on indefinite hold. Désilets was clearly unhappy with the decision and he called out Ubisoft’s actions as ‘baseless and without merit’ and that he intended to fight Ubisoft for his rights, the rights of his team and for his game. He even initiated court proceedings against his former employer in June 2013, seeking $400,000 and the rights to 1666.

The game Désilets was working on,1666 started life at THQ Montréal and came over to Ubisoft with the developer, so it is possible that Panache Digital Games’ first project may be something similar.

Désilets’ previous credits include the first two Assassin’s Creed games with him leaving Ubisoft in 2010 part way through the development of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. He was also credited as the director of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

The news of the new studio comes in the same week as the release of Assassin’s Creed Unity and the series that began with Désilets has now seen its seventh major installment, not including mobile entries.