When Ubisoft has hired Mike Laidlaw, well-known and respected designer of the series Dragon Age, at the end of 2018, expectations were high and all about the new game dedicated to King Arthur. Fans were thrilled to see what kind of product they could enjoy, but unfortunately it all ended in a stalemate. In fact, Laidlaw was leading the development of a code-named RPG Avalon, according to people familiar with the project. This was a big budget adventure that would involve the stories of King Arthur and his Round Table in a witchcraft fantasy world full of knights and legends. But a little over a year later, before releasing any plans or information, Laidlaw resigned.
According to current and former employees, Avalon / King Arthur was written off by Ubisoft's powerful creative director Serge Hascoët, due to an unusual content check. Hascoët was credited in the upper echelons of the company due to the Far Cry and Assassin's Creed series. However, all the same, he wasn't much of a fan of the fantasy genre and established a strong point for the team that was working on Avalon in Quebec City, in Canada. If they were trying to make a fantasy game, it had to be "better than Tolkien," he told them, at least according to people familiar with the project.
Luckily for fans, Hascoët resigned earlier this month, especially after various allegations of sexual misconduct within the company, including those of having created a real fraternity. However, its damage is not limited to this, its grip has also stifled Ubisoft's creativity: current and former developers said that Hascoët rejected some ideas with great potential and upset high-profile employees, thus limiting the company's potential in favor of its arid figure. At present, Laidlaw and a Ubisoft spokesperson declined to comment, while Hascoët did not answer any questions or interviews.
Last year Ubisoft, under its "protective wing", has released two unsuccessful projects: The Division 2, which was critically acclaimed but found to be commercially underwhelming, and Ghost Recon Breakpoint, which was heavily criticized by the press and fans. At the end of the year, Ubisoft shares had fallen 40% from its high a year earlier. Consequently, the company reorganized the publishing division in an effort to diversify its games. Two of the people promoted at the time, Maxime Béland e Tommy François, are the subject of a corporate investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct. Béland has resigned, while Francois' employment status remains unclear. In the wake of the harassment scandal, the CEO Yves Guillemot promised great cultural changes. Some Ubisoft employees are wondering if the creative structure of the company will also change, diversifying the leadership ranks and creating an opportunity for a more expansive and potentially profitable list of titles.
Ubisoft has at times been criticized by fans and pundits for reusing assets within its titles. Its biggest franchises, including Watch Dogs, Far Cry and the saga Tom Clancy, they are all large open worlds with realistic settings, which is no coincidence. Prior to Avalon, Hascoët turned down submissions of many other fantasy-style games, according to people familiar with Ubisoft's development processes. The man, and the Ubisoft marketing department, they also prevented the developers of the last three Assassin's Creed games from writing bigger roles for their female leads.
Within Ubisoft's management, Hascoët was seen as responsible for the success of the open world formula that turned the publisher's various franchises into commercial successes, but his level of power was unique in the industry. Most other publishers have multiple creative directors rather than just one person, a configuration that according to Cowen & Co. analyst Doug Creutz could be more effective.
I think it's a good thing to have a group of people, albeit a small one, to act as a “creative breeding ground”, as opposed to giving all this power to one person. This is risky.
People who worked on Avalon / King Arthur said the project was progressing well. It featured a cooperative multiplayer world similar to the famous series Monster Hunter di Capcom. The game's developers were shocked to see the project hampered simply because the creative director didn't like its setting. In an attempt to save everything, for the whole of 2019, Laidlaw and his team have launched new themes. They changed their setting, trying a more science fiction one and one based on Greek mythology. However, Hascoët broke down all these ideas and, last fall, the game was canceled. Consequently Laidlaw has decided to leave the company.
