Every few weeks someone asks the same question in Assassin’s Creed forums: is Hexe still happening? I get why. Ubisoft revealed this game back in 2022 and has said almost nothing official since. Meanwhile leaks, director exits, and staffing changes keep surfacing, and it becomes hard to tell what is confirmed and what is guesswork. I went through every official Ubisoft statement and every named report on this game to put together a straight answer to the questions people are actually typing into Google. No filler, just what is known, what is rumored, and where the line between the two sits.
Is Assassin’s Creed Hexe Cancelled?
No. Ubisoft has not cancelled Codename Hexe. The company confirmed directly to press that development continues. In a statement given to PC Gamer, a Ubisoft spokesperson said plainly, “Development on Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe continues with a seasoned team. The game will deliver something distinctive within the Assassin’s Creed franchise.”
That statement was made in response to questions about creative director Clint Hocking leaving the company, not in response to a cancellation rumor, but it stands as the clearest official confirmation that the project is alive. Nothing since then, including the staffing changes covered further down, has come with an accompanying cancellation notice.
When Is Assassin’s Creed Hexe Coming Out?
Ubisoft has never announced an official release date for Hexe. Anyone telling you a locked in date is guessing. What we do have is a pattern of reported internal targets that keep moving later.
Early expectations, based on the original 2022 framing of the game as being further out than other announced titles, pointed to a possible 2026 window. That target reportedly shifted. According to GamerMarkt, citing Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, the internal target moved to June 2027, though sources cited in that same report suggested a slip to the 2027 holiday season was likely given the recent staffing and leadership changes.
More recently, industry insider NateTheHate went a step further. Speaking on his findings, reported by Insider Gaming, the insider stated the game “won’t launch until second half of 2027, at earliest,” and added that Ubisoft has no reason to rush an announcement or reveal before then. If you are trying to guess a realistic window right now, late 2027 is the most consistently repeated estimate across multiple sources, though even that remains unconfirmed by Ubisoft.
What Is Assassin’s Creed Hexe About?
The setting is the one detail that has stayed consistent across nearly every leak and report since 2022. Hexe is believed to take place during the European witch trials, likely set in the later years of the Holy Roman Empire. The German word “hexe” itself translates to witch, which lines up directly with the setting theory and with the original teaser, which showed an Assassin symbol formed from tree branches in a foggy forest, a clear visual nod to folklore and superstition rather than the usual sun drenched historical backdrops the series is known for.
Kotaku reported that the game was internally described as leaning toward a survival horror tone, a notable departure from the open world adventure formula of recent entries like Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla, and Shadows. That horror leaning direction, combined with a witch trial backdrop, suggests Ubisoft originally intended Hexe to feel closer to a tense, atmosphere driven experience than another sprawling checklist map.
None of these story details have been confirmed by Ubisoft in an official capacity. They come from leaks, insider reporting, and pattern recognition based on the teaser and the developers attached to the project. Treat them as well sourced rumor rather than fact until Ubisoft shows actual footage.
Does Assassin’s Creed Hexe Have Supernatural Powers or Magic?
This is one of the more contested details, because it appears to have changed mid development. Earlier reporting suggested the game would center on a protagonist with supernatural abilities and a fear based enemy reaction system, fitting the witch trial horror theme. More recent reporting suggests that direction has been walked back.
According to AllKeyShop, citing reports from April 2026, new creative lead Jean Guesdon decided to remove a rumored companion animal feature, described as a cat companion, along with elements of the original magic system, pivoting the game toward a more grounded, chemistry based approach rooted in historical fiction rather than overt supernatural power. If that holds through the rest of development, players should expect something closer to psychological horror and paranoia than a character with visible magical abilities.
It is worth noting this creative change has not been confirmed directly by Ubisoft. It comes from a single detailed report rather than an official announcement, so it should be read as a credible but unconfirmed shift rather than a locked in design decision.
Why Did Assassin’s Creed Hexe Lose Its Director?
Creative director Clint Hocking left Ubisoft, confirmed directly by the company. Hocking had a long history at Ubisoft, having worked on the original Splinter Cell, served as creative director on Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Far Cry 2, left the company in 2010, returned in 2015, and most recently served as creative director on Watch Dogs: Legion before leading Hexe. Ubisoft did not give a public reason for his exit beyond thanking him for his contributions, as reported by PC Gamer.
What gets missed in a lot of coverage is that Hocking was not the only director to leave. Game director Benoit Richer also departed the project not long after, reportedly to co-found an indie studio, according to TweakTown. That means Hexe lost two directors within roughly two months of each other, which is a considerably bigger leadership shake up than most headlines suggest.
Who Is In Charge of Assassin’s Creed Hexe Now?
Jean Guesdon is the current creative director on Hexe. Longtime fans will recognize his name from directing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin’s Creed Origins, two of the more highly regarded entries in the series. He was also named Head of Content for the entire Assassin’s Creed brand, giving him influence beyond just this one project.
Sitting above him in the new structure is Eric Baptizat, who has returned to Ubisoft after five years away as Game Director for the entire Assassin’s Creed brand. Baptizat previously worked as lead game designer on Black Flag, senior game designer on Unity, project lead on Origins, and game director on Valhalla, before leaving Ubisoft to direct the critically praised Dead Space remake and later work on Battlefield 6 at EA Motive. His return was announced by Guesdon on LinkedIn and reported by VGC.
According to Tech Times, Baptizat’s role fits into Ubisoft’s Creative Houses structure under Vantage Studios, the Tencent backed subsidiary now running Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Under this structure, Martin Schelling handles brand strategy, Guesdon leads content direction, François de Billy oversees production, and Baptizat sits at the execution layer above individual project teams. His title is Game Director for the brand, not director of Hexe specifically, and Ubisoft has not confirmed which project, if any, he will personally lead day to day.
Why Did Fifty Developers Leave the Hexe Team?
This is probably the single most searched detail about this game right now. Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, citing leaker @xj0nathan, reported that roughly 50 developers were removed from Hexe and reassigned to Ubisoft’s Interproject team, an internal group for staff between active assignments, as detailed in the original Insider Gaming report.
Importantly, these developers were not confirmed to be laid off. They were moved internally, which happens at large studios juggling multiple projects at once. Ubisoft currently has several Assassin’s Creed titles in some stage of development, including Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a multiplayer project codenamed Invictus, and a reported additional remake, so redistributing staff across those projects is plausible.
That said, one report characterized the move as a cost cutting measure, and Ubisoft responded to that specific framing in a statement given to Rock Paper Shotgun, according to TweakTown. Ubisoft pushed back on the cost cutting characterization without denying that staff had actually been moved off the project.
Why Did This Leadership Shake Up Happen at All?
The changes around Hexe are connected to a much bigger shift at the top of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Marc-Alexis Côté, the executive who originally revealed Hexe in 2022 and who had steered the franchise toward more fantastical, live service styled experiences, left Ubisoft in October, according to VGC. He later stated his intention to sue Ubisoft, claiming he did not resign and was instead asked to step aside.
In his place, Ubisoft installed a leadership group built around veterans of Black Flag, the game widely credited with turning the series into a global phenomenon. That trio, Martin Schelling, Jean Guesdon, and François de Billy, now joined by Baptizat, points to a clear strategic bet. Rather than continuing the more experimental, service driven direction Côté favored, which coincided with the underwhelming commercial performance of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, reportedly selling between 4 and 5 million copies against a development and marketing budget near 350 million dollars according to GamerMarkt, the new leadership appears to be pulling the franchise back toward the grounded, character focused storytelling that defined the series a decade ago.
What Platforms Will Assassin’s Creed Hexe Release On?
Ubisoft has not confirmed platforms for Hexe. Given that every recent mainline Assassin’s Creed title, including Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, has launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC, it is reasonable to expect the same lineup for Hexe. There is currently no indication of a next generation exclusive platform strategy or a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version, since those older consoles have already been phased out of Ubisoft’s recent release plans.
Should You Be Worried About Assassin’s Creed Hexe?
Based on everything confirmed and reported so far, concern is reasonable but panic is not. Two directors leaving within two months, 50 developers being reassigned, and a release window sliding from 2026 toward late 2027 are all real signals of a project going through significant internal change. At the same time, Ubisoft has repeatedly confirmed development is continuing, the new creative leadership has strong individual track records, including Guesdon’s work on Black Flag and Origins and Baptizat’s work on the well received Dead Space remake, and none of the reported changes point to the game being scrapped.
The honest read is that Hexe is being restructured rather than abandoned. Extra development time, if used to sharpen the game’s identity rather than pad it with filler content, could produce a stronger result than the version originally pitched in 2022. What happens over the next year, and whether Ubisoft finally breaks its silence with real gameplay footage, will tell us far more than any staffing report can.
Quick Answers
- Is Hexe cancelled? No, Ubisoft has confirmed development continues.
- When does Hexe release? No official date exists. Reported internal targets point to somewhere in the second half of 2027.
- What is the setting? Reportedly the European witch trials during the late Holy Roman Empire, though unconfirmed by Ubisoft.
- Who is directing it? Jean Guesdon, with Eric Baptizat now overseeing the wider Assassin’s Creed brand above individual projects.
- Why did staff leave? Two directors departed within two months, and 50 developers were reassigned internally rather than confirmed as laid off.
Sources cited in this article
- PC Gamer, Ubisoft’s official statement on Clint Hocking’s departure
- Kotaku, on Hexe’s setting and survival horror tone
- VGC, on Marc-Alexis Côté’s exit and new leadership trio
- Insider Gaming, original report on 50 reassigned developers
- TweakTown, on Benoit Richer’s exit and Ubisoft’s cost cutting response
- AllKeyShop, on the reported removal of magic and companion features
- GamerMarkt, on Assassin’s Creed Shadows sales and budget
- Insider Gaming, on the second half of 2027 release claim
- VGC, on Eric Baptizat’s return and career background
- Tech Times, on Vantage Studios and the Creative Houses structure
Sections above describing the story, setting, and specific gameplay changes are based on unofficial reporting and insider sourcing rather than confirmed Ubisoft announcements, and are labeled as such throughout.
