Assassin's Creed writer Darby McDevitt announces surprise Ubisoft return

Long-term Assassin's Creed scribe Darby McDevitt has confirmed he will return to Ubisoft and the Assassin's Creed franchise.

McDevitt surprised fans by announcing his departure from the company back in March to explore other opportunities - becoming one of several high profile departures from the embattled publisher this year.

"Yes I have returned to Ubisoft!" McDevitt said today in a statement shared with Eurogamer, after news initially broke on VGC. "As I pondered my career over the past year, I focused on my desire to explore new ideas and unknown frontiers. Much to my delight, this is reflected in my return to Ubisoft to work on AC. I'm excited to continue my journey. Stay tuned!"

McDevitt most recently served as narrative director on Valhalla, where his work was praised by fans for tying in and tying up various plot-threads from throughout the series' labyrinthine lore.

Among the Assassin's Creed community, McDevitt is celebrated as the closest the sprawling franchise has to an overall loremaster. He is also its most-recognised figurehead - a title earned through frequent interactions with fans and a resume filled with half a dozen Assassin's Creed games.

McDevitt's first writing work for the series came via Assassin's Creed 2 portable spin-offs Discovery and Bloodlines in 2009. He then moved up to serve as lead writer for Revelations, the final game in the Ezio trilogy, and wrote the celebrated Embers short film which acts as its coda.

After that, McDevitt went on to serve as lead writer for Black Flag, and contributed to both Unity and Origins.

There's no word today on what McDevitt may be working on next. Next year's big Valhalla expansions? Or, perhaps more likely at this point, the next big project for the Assassin's Creed franchise - Assassin's Creed Infinity. Reports say this is being planned as a live service hub for future installments to sit within, wrapping together multiple main characters across multiple time periods. I can't think of anyone better placed to navigate all of that.

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