Patrice Désilets, creative director on Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time left Ubisoft earlier this year and it has now been revealed that Désilets will head up a newly founded THQ studio in Montreal starting next summer. We assume this coincides with some kind of clause in his contract with Ubisoft (or maybe he just wanted some time off).
"The best way we can deliver fresh, high-quality gaming experiences is by working with the best talent. THQ is delighted to have the opportunity to make a brilliant addition to our team next year with Patrice Désilets," said Danny Bilson, THQ Executive Vice President, Core Games. "We expect calendar 2011 to be a watershed year for THQ, and adding developers like Patrice helps ensure our focus on new IP and great games charted by leading industry artists."
Bilson added, "Simply put, we can't wait for Patrice to join THQ. Patrice brings a passion for games rich with action-packed sequences, gripping characters and cinematic flair, and we're all looking forward to having him and his newly formed team develop an all new franchise with us."
It will be interesting to see what projects might come out of the THQ Montreal studio.
We met with Patrice Désilets in Tokyo last year to talk about Assassin's Creed II and we thought we'd include that interview in the story (below).