Assassin's Creed Creative Director Reportedly Fired Following Ubisoft Misconduct Investigation

Ubisoft has terminated former Assassin's Creed Valhalla creative director Ashraf Ismail following an internal investigation prompted by accusations that he had pursued extramarital relationships, Kotaku reported Friday. Ismail had stepped down from his position in June, and had previously worked at Ubisoft since 2009.

Employees at the Ubisoft Montreal office, where Valhalla is in development, received a company-wide message Thursday explaining the decision. Kotaku obtained copy of the message, which declined to share details of the investigation itself.

Ismail was first publicly accused of leveraging his senior position and lying about his marital status June 21, via a Twitter thread. He announced the decision to step down on Twitter three days later. His Twitter feed has since been taken offline.

Ismail's departure comes amid a larger reckoning at Ubisoft with allegations of harassment and other abuses throughout the company. Three executives, including chief creation officer Serge Hascoët, publicly resigned in mid-July. Others have reportedly left without public announcements, their departures communicated only internally or, in some cases, to their immediate team members, according to Kotaku's report.