One of Ubisoft’s most public faces, Jade Raymond, has left the company after 10 years. According to a statement from Ubisoft, Raymond and Ubisoft have “agreed to pursue future opportunities separately.” Raymond’s departure from Ubisoft comes at an interesting but logical time, as Assassin’s Creed Unity is wrapping up production and will ship soon for PS4 and Xbox One.
Such departures aren’t new to the industry, so hearing that the Assassin’s Creed producer leaves Ubisoft doesn’t mean the franchise is or will be in disrepair. The Assassin’s Creed series has seemed on a bit of an autopilot mode for the past few games, so it may have been time to pass the baton anyway.
Raymond will leave Ubisoft on October 29.
From a business sense, executive succession planning is always on the table. Alexandre Parizeau, a founding team member of the Ubisoft Toronto studio where Raymond worked, will replace Raymond as managing director. Raymond’s replacement on the AC series specifically will no doubt be named soon and do a capable job managing future Assassin’s Creed games.
Raymond was producer on the first Assassins Creed game and Assassin’s Creed 2. During the promotional period for those games, Raymond gained significant media exposure both for her outstanding work on the series and because she was an influential female figure in an industry stereotypically dominated by men.
Raymond also served as a producer for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist and Watch_Dogs, the latter of which was one of the most talked-about PS4 and Xbox One games before the systems’ respective release dates. She had served as Ubisoft Toronto’s managing director since 2009.
“This is one of the hardest decisions of my career, but the Toronto studio is strong and on a solid path,” Raymond said in a prepared statement. “Stay tuned for more on what’s next for me, but for now, I’d like to thank Ubisoft for its partnership through the years, and I wish them the very best in all their next endeavors.”
Depending on the depth of the non-compete agreement she had to sign, if any, it may be a while before gamers hear from Raymond in a developer or producer role.
Raymond’s replacement, Alexandre Parizeau, is also a founding member of Ubisoft Toronto. He has served as senior producer on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist, as a producer on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction, and as a producer on Rainbow Six Vegas. Parizeau will report to Yannis Mallat, CEO of Ubisoft Montreal and Toronto.
