Assassin's Creed Valhalla creative director steps down
Following allegations about his personal life.
Ashraf Ismail, game director of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Assassin's Creed Origins and creative director of the upcoming Assassin's Creed Valhalla, has stepped down from his position at Ubisoft following allegations about his personal life.
Ismail took to Twitter to announce he was leaving Valhalla "to properly deal with the personal issues in my life".
"The lives of my family and my own are shattered," Ismail said. "I am deeply sorry to everyone hurt in this.
"There are hundreds of talented, passionate people striving to build an experience for you that do not deserve to be associated with this. I wish them all the best."
Over the weekend, Ismail was accused of cheating on his wife and lying about his marital status as part of a fresh wave of #metoo allegations - in the games industry and elsewhere.
Ubisoft said in a statement: "Ashraf Ismail is stepping down from the project to take a leave of absence. The development team is committed to delivering a great game in Assassin's Creed Valhalla."
Earlier this week, multiple studios distanced themselves from writer Chris Avellone after allegations of harassment surfaced. And overnight Insomniac Games, developer of Marvel's Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank, responded to a former employee's allegations of sexual harassment while at the studio.
Other Ubisoft staff have faced sexual assault and harassment allegations in recent days. In a statement issued to Eurogamer on Tuesday, the company said: "We are deeply concerned by these accusations. We take any allegations of abuse or harassment very seriously and we are looking very closely into the allegations to determine next steps."