After only a year in office, succeeding Serge Ascoet, who stepped down amid a sexual harassment scandal, Ubisoft creative director Igor Manso will step down next November.
The departure of Igor Manso is part of a new general change in the functioning of some of the creative departments at Ubisoft. The goal of the ongoing reorganization is to make it easier to control and manage projects at all stages of development from the head office in Paris, as well as to give studios more flexibility and autonomy. Ubisoft has a complex system for licensing and approving games at various stages of production. Over the years, some developers, past and present, have criticized this system for hindering creativity and making the process too political.
Ubisoft Chief Creative Officer to leave after just a year: https://t.co/djgJcDAZxN pic.twitter.com/hnGbtEvVRy
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Igor Manso says:
Over the past twenty-four years, I have been fortunate to meet and work with talented and inspiring teams around the world. I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in this fantastic adventure. I am sure that Ubisoft will be able to surprise and delight gamers for many years to come.
Igor Manso leaves Ubisoft for personal reasons
Yves Guillemot, CEO of French publisher Ubisoft, justifies Igor Manso’s departure:
For personal reasons, Igor Manso has expressed his desire to leave Ubisoft and following this decision, we would like to update you on how we are approaching this transformation. From now until his departure at the end of November, he will dedicate himself to supporting the evolution of the structure into specific poles organized by key segments for Ubisoft to better adapt to the diversity of our portfolio and the unique needs of each project.
Note that a Ubisoft spokesperson has announced to Kotaku the establishment of a new global creative office at Ubisoft that will be structured around the poles, thereby moving away from a centralized organization, in close collaboration with Marie-Sophie de Wobert, Senior Vice President of Studios, Martin Schelling. Senior Vice President of Production, Sandrine Caloaro, Chief Portfolio Director, Guillemet Picard, Senior Vice President of Production Technology and Studio Managing Directors.