Fired Assassin’s Creed creative director Ashraf Ismail is now working at Tencent
A former top Assassin’s Creed developer who was fired by Ubisoft is now working on a new game at Tencent.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and Origins creative director Ashraf Ismail had his employment terminated by the French publisher in August 2020, following accusations of abuse of power and extramarital affairs.
Chinese gaming giant Tencent has confirmed to Axios that Ismail is now serving as “a consulting creative director” with it Timi Studio Group.
While the company didn’t confirm exactly what Ismail is working on where, one source told the publication he’d been involved with a Tencent studio in Montreal since it was opened in July 2021.
The studio is reportedly staffed by a number of ex-Ubisoft Montreal developers, some of whom worked under Ismail on the Assassin’s Creed series.
“During our work with Ash, he has carried himself in a professional manner and has consistently shown an eagerness to learn and grow as both a team member and person,” a Timi spokesperson told Axios.
“We strive to provide a safe, respectful working environment for all and will continue to do so as our team grows and expands.”
Established in 2008, Timi is best known in the west for Call of Duty Mobile, which has topped 650 million downloads since launching in November 2019.
It is also behind the League of Legends-inspired Honor of Kings, a Chinese sensation which consistently ranks among the top-grossing mobile games worldwide.
Timi developed 2021 Switch and mobile release Pokémon Unite and last May it announced a strategic partnership with Xbox.
The studio reportedly generated $10 billion in 2020, making it the world’s largest developer at time, according to Reuters sources.
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