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Following his alleged firing last month, Patrice Désilets has sued Ubisoft for $400,000 and the ability to acquire the rights to 1666: Amsterdam. In January, Ubisoft bought THQ Montreal and a number of its properties, including 1666, a project headed up by Désilets, who served as a key creative talent at the French publisher before leaving for THQ in 2010.
Désilets briefly returned to Ubisoft as part of the deal, but the reunion wasn’t a happy one. Last month, Ubisoft confirmed that the former Assassin’s Creed creative director had left the company after discussions designed to align the pair’s visions proved unsuccessful; Désilets countered by claiming he was “handed a termination notice and unceremoniously escorted out of the building”.
According to court documents obtained by Game Informer, Désilets is also seeking to secure the rights to 1666 following Ubisoft’s decision to suspend development of the title. Désilets argues that a clause in his THQ contract (which was said to have been taken on by Ubisoft) grants him the ability to acquire the rights to 1666 and certain assets should the title be cancelled.
In a statement issued to Polygon, Ubisoft said: “As stated before, the acquisition of THQ Montréal in January allowed Ubisoft to welcome 170 experienced developers to our existing and renowned workforce. Unfortunately, the discussions between Patrice Désilets and Ubisoft aimed at aligning Patrice’s and the studio’s visions were inconclusive. We received Patrice’s legal request and will address it in court. We will make no further comment at this point.”
