The lead writer for the Assassin’s Creed franchise for the last decade, Darby McDevitt, has returned to Ubisoft after departing earlier this year. Seven months ago he departed the company, even enjoying a brief stint with the Montreal-based developer Illogika, before returning to Ubisoft.
McDevitt confirmed that he was returning to his previous company to VGC, stating that his desire to “explore new ideas and unknown frontiers” had led to his return. It is unclear however if he will resume his post on the Assassin’s Creed franchise or if he will be attached to a new project.
If he does return to the Assassin’s Creed franchise there are plenty of places to contribute. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is the first game in the series to receive a year 2 season pass, extending the game even further. While much of this narrative is most mapped, it would definitely benefit from his contribution.
The reason the game is getting a year 2 season pass is due to the plans for the next game in the series, Assassin’s Creed: Infinite, needing more time due to the ambitiousness of the project. It is intended to be a live service project using multiple time periods, and continual updates, to last long beyond the usual two-year cycle that the series has been on recently. It is highly likely he will be working on this title.
Recently, Ubisoft has had several high-profile issues plaguing the company. Alligations of fostering a culture of toxicity, as well harassment and abuse have led to several high profiles departures from the company. Large-scale departures from the company have also become a major story as well. Ubisoft has attempted to stem this by raising wages across the company to retain key employees.
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A Nintendo Switch trailer was also released.
According to SteamDB.
An announcement trailer was also released.