Far Cry’s boss has left Ubisoft

The most senior creative behind Ubisoft’s Far Cry franchise has left the company, VGC can reveal.

Dan Hay served as Far Cry’s executive producer for a period of more than ten years at Ubisoft Montreal, where he was credited for overseeing the series during its most prosperous period.

Hay joined Ubisoft to produce Far Cry 3 – which remains the series’ highest-rated game to date – and kept his role for virtually every instalment since, including Blood Dragon, Far Cry 4, Primal, Far Cry 5 and New Dawn.

The company veteran was most hands-on with Far Cry 5, on which he acted as creative director.

“After more than 10 years at Ubisoft, Dan Hay has announced that he will be pursuing a new chapter in his professional life and he will be leaving on November 12,” Ubisoft told VGC.

“Dan has been the Executive Director of Far Cry and has developed an incredible multi-disciplined team to produce what has become one of the most popular games in Ubisoft’s history.

“While Dan has not announced where his path is taking him, we are confident that it will offer him the new challenges and experiences he seeks and deserves. We thank Dan for his many contributions over the years and wish him all the best for the future.

“In the interim, the brand team will be led by Sandra Warren in Montreal as well as a highly capable team of producers and directors, in addition to continuing its collaborations with a number of other studios around the world.”

Hay’s departure is the latest blow to the French games publisher, which is still facing criticism in the wake of recent sexual misconduct, harassment and discrimination revelations.

A recent Kotaku report, which VGC’s own sources corroborated, claimed that Ubisoft’s Canadian studios have announced pay rises for staff in an attempt to combat an exodus of senior developers.

Ubisoft Canada is comprised of Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Chicoutimi, Halifax, and Winnipeg. Together, the developers are responsible for its biggest franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs and Far Cry.

According to Kotaku’s sources, Ubisoft has been “bleeding top-level talent” for the past few years. Recently, long-time Assassin’s Creed directors Darby McDevitt, Eric Baptizat, and Raphael Lacoste all left the company for other studios.

Sources told VGC that at Watch Dogs Legion and Far Cry 6 developer Ubisoft Toronto, virtually all of its design leads left the company following the completion of their work.

Earlier this summer a group of employees calling itself A Better Ubisoft released an open letter to its employer calling for “real, fundamental changes” in the wake of sexual misconduct, harassment and discrimination revelations.

Signed by over 1,000 current and former staff, it accused Ubisoft’s management of offering “nothing more than a year of kind words, empty promises, and an inability or unwillingness to remove known offenders”.