What’s good at Ubisoft? Nothing much, it seems, as another of the company’s grizzled developers have decided to jump ship from the company. The latest to make their escape from the NFT-happy publisher is Patrick Plourde, a nearly 20-year veteran who should ring an immediate bell for fans of Child of Light, having been responsible for directing the beautiful platforming adventure centered around a heroic child who must defeat an evil queen in order to make it back home. Plourde announced his departure in a tweet shared earlier this week that mentioned some of his previous projects at Ubisoft, which include major hits such as Rainbow Six: Vegas, Assassin’s Creed, and Far Cry 3. His new venture is an independent creative consultancy, one that will let Plourde maintain ties with his former employer but not have to deal with its management and bureaucracy.
R6 Vegas, AC, FC3, CoL, WD2… it’s been a privilege to collaborate with everyone at Ubi on these great games!
— Patrick Plourde (@patrick_plourde) April 13, 2022
Now, I’m happy to share that I’m starting my own independent creative consultancy, where I will keep working with Ubisoft and also spend time on some personal projects.
“Most of my time will be working with Ubisoft, but now I’ll have a position outside a traditional structure (with mandate cross department) and I will be able to dabble with other fields outside gaming that I had eyes on for a while without having to ask my employer’s permission,” Plourde told Axios.
“We can confirm that Patrick is leaving Ubisoft but will provide consulting to some of our creative directors, at their request, and to the Editorial team on certain projects”, reads a statement from Ubisoft.
Child of Light creator Patrick Plourde has left Ubisoft after 19 years (VGC)
Plourde, who was creative director of Child of Light, Watch Dogs 2 and Far Cry 3, plans to work as part of an independent consulting agency and continue to work with Ubisoft outside of its traditional corporate structure, he said.
Since joining Ubisoft, Plourde has been credited across most of the publisher’s biggest franchises in various roles. Serving as a game designer and a level designer on the Assassin’s Creed series, he would then go on to work on Far Cry 3 as the creative director.
Following his work on Child of Light and Watch Dogs 2, Plourde moved into an editorial role within Ubisoft, where he remained until the end of his time with the company.