Leaving a franchise after its most polarizing entry and coming back to run the whole thing is a rare career move. That’s exactly what happened with Eric Baptizat: the former game director of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is back at Ubisoft, and this time he’s not steering one game — he’s in charge of the entire series.
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Who Baptizat Is and Why This Move Matters
Baptizat spent 16 years at Ubisoft, contributing to Black Flag, Origins, and Valhalla — meaning he witnessed the franchise both at its peak and at the point where critics started calling it creatively exhausted. After Valhalla, he moved on to outside projects: he led development of the Dead Space Remake at EA Motive, which was warmly received, and later joined the team working on Battlefield 6.
The news of his return was announced by Assassin’s Creed brand director Jean Guesdon — in characteristically enthusiastic language, though a more pragmatic calculation from Ubisoft is easy to read between the lines. The company needs someone who understands the franchise’s internal workings inside and out, while also knowing how to ship projects that critics praise for focus and pacing.
What This Means for the Franchise’s Future Games
Formally, Baptizat is taking on the role of brand game director — meaning he’ll oversee the series’ overall direction rather than a single title. It’s a higher-level position than the one he held during Valhalla, and it implies influence over creative decisions across multiple teams.
Right now, Ubisoft has officially confirmed two new projects in the series:
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Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe — considered the next major release for PC and consoles;
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Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade — a second project with few details revealed so far.
Ubisoft hasn’t specified what exactly will change in these games under Baptizat’s leadership. There have been no official statements about reworked concepts or shifted timelines.
Should Fans Expect Real Changes?
Bringing back Valhalla’s game director to oversee the whole franchise reads more as a signal of direction than a guarantee of concrete changes. Valhalla drew criticism from part of the audience for being overstuffed and slow-paced — if Baptizat took that feedback to heart, the effect could show up as early as Hexe. But for now that’s speculation: Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed the appointment will directly affect already-announced projects.
The first official materials on Hexe will be worth watching closely — that’s where it’ll become clear whether the series’ philosophy is actually shifting, or whether this is simply a personnel change.
