Assassin's Creed: Valhalla Director Steps Down After Impropriety Allegations

Ashraf Ismail, creative director at Ubisoft has announced that he is stepping down from his role on Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla following allegations of engaging in extramarital affairs. In a statement published on Twitter Ismail announced, “I am stepping down from my beloved project to properly deal with the personal issues in my life. The lives of my family and my own are shattered. I am deeply sorry to everyone hurt in this.” In a follow-up, Ismail added, “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.” IGN has reached out to Ubisoft to inquire how this may impact Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla’s development and whether a replacement creative director will be announced. Ubisoft provided the following 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.” Over the weekend, multiple allegations of sexual impropriety surfaced within the game industry against a variety of figures, including game developers and streamers. This included Ismail who was accused of engaging in extramarital affairs and not revealing, or actively hiding, his marital status to the people he dated. One Twitter user provided text messages that claim to be text exchanges with Ismail where he appears to hide his marital status. The games industry was rocked by several different allegations, not just against Ismail. Other prominent figures accused of sexual misconduct include writer Chris Avellone, who has since parted ways with developer Techland on Dying Light 2 following multiple sexual harassment allegations. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

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