Clint Hocking was a key figure for Splinter Cell, Far Cry, and Watch Dogs. With Witch, he was responsible for the next big Assassin’s Creed. Now he’s throwing in the towel.
Witch was announced four years ago as the next big Assassin’s Creed after 2025’s Shadows. Even then, Assassin’s Creed boss Marc-Alexis Côté made it clear: The release is still a long way off, and what we are presenting here is a very rough plan for the future, covering many, many years. Along with Witch, dozens of other sequels and spin-offs were announced.
The China series installment Codename Jade for smartphones, a Netflix Assassin’s Creed, the multiplayer project Invictus, the big Animus hub Infinity.
Apart from Mirage and Shadows, almost none of these have been released. Marc-Alexis Côté no longer works at Ubisoft and is even suing his former employer.
Instead: strikes, structural upheavals, new investors. Ubisoft has just introduced a new management team for the Assassin’s Creed brand, but now we know of another veteran who is making way for it: Clint Hocking, who has been working on Ubisoft games since 2001 (with interruptions).
Clint Hocking leaves the company
According to a report by VGC, the news that Hocking is leaving Ubisoft has just been communicated internally to the workforce. The company confirmed his departure to VGC, stating:
We sincerely thank Clint for his vision, creative contributions, and years of dedication, and we wish him all the best in his next chapter. Development of Assassin’s Creed Witch will continue with an experienced team. The game will offer something very unique within the series, and you’ll learn more about it in the future.
Jean Guesdon, who previously served as game director for Black Flag and Origins, is taking over as the new head of Hexe. Guesdon is part of the new Assassin’s Creed triumvirate:
- Martin Schelling is the new Head of Assassin’s Creed, responsible for the strategic direction of the entire brand.
- Jean Guesdon oversees the creative direction of the brand as Head of Content.
- And François de Billy is responsible for quality assurance as Head of Production Excellence.
Clint Hocking, on the other hand, has worked for Ubisoft on and off since the early 2000s. He started as a level designer for the very first Splinter Cell, took on more and more responsibility there, and worked on the magnificent Chaos Theory. In 2008, he served as director for the first open-world Far Cry: Far Cry 2.
After several lengthy stints at Lucasarts, Amazon, and Valve, he returned to Ubisoft in 2015 to work first on the controversial Watch Dogs Legion and later on Assassin’s Creed. This chapter is now also coming to an end.
We don’t know anything about the reasons behind Hocking’s departure. Whether he is simply looking for a more secure employer in light of the upheavals and layoffs, or whether there were internal disputes, remains speculation. Meanwhile, well-known leaker Tom Henderson has given the all-clear via X. The project is reportedly going really well, and people are clamoring to work on it:
Some folk will be wary of this change, but Assassin’s Creed Hexe is the one project everyone at Ubisoft wants to work on because of how good it’s shaping up to be. https://t.co/Tz430ZCEiW
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) February 25, 2026
However, it is still unclear what the future holds for Assassin’s Creed as a whole. The vague roadmap for Assassin’s Creed Shadows suggests that we won’t be seeing a second major DLC after The Claws of Awaji. In addition, we can expect the worst-kept secret on the entire internet: the remake of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Beyond that, it remains exciting. Will Witch be released as early as 2027? What about Jade? We’ll keep you posted as soon as we know more.
