Following an investigation into extramarital allegations,Ubisoft fired Ashraf Ismailin 2020. This followed Ismail taking a “leave of absence” after allegations that he had an extramarital affair with a fan he met at E3 2017 surfaced online.
Ismail was a creative director at Ubisoft, who worked onAssassin’s Creed 4: Black FlagandAssassin’s Creed Origins. He joinedAssassin’s Creed Valhalla’s team as its creative director in May 2020 before allegations surfaced online in June 2020. Ashraf cited personal issues impacting his family and stepped down from the project, before being officially fired in August 2020. Ubisoft’s investigation was never made public, but Ismail was accused ofabusing his power and lying about his marital statusto conduct affairs with female fans and possibly even Ubisoft employees. Now, a new report from Axios reveals that Ismail has remained active in the gaming world, since roughly July 2021, not even a full year after his ousting.
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Multiple sources told Axios that Ashraf Ismail was working atTencent, with it being revealed that he was a “consulting creative director” with Tencent’s TiMi studio group. Tencent opened a new studio in Montreal, a central hub for several game developers, in July 2021, and it is said that Ismail has been at the studio since it opened. This studio is staffed by several former developers of Ubisoft Montreal, some of whom worked onAssassin’s Creedgamesunder Ismail.
Ismail did not respond to Axios' request for comment, butTencentdid issue a statement to the publication. “During our work with Ash, he has carried himself in a professional manner and has consistently shown an eagerness to learn and grow as both a team member and person…We strive to provide a safe, respectful working environment for all and will continue to do so as our team grows and expands.”
Ismail has not been publicly heard from since his high-profile departure from Ubisoft, but this news may no doubt be upsetting for many. It essentially amounts to someone abusing their power, hiding their marriage, manipulating sexual partners, and being able to escape these allegations by working at another studio. Given, even, that Ismail seems to be working with former underlings, in a similar capacity as before, and with no acknowledgment and little time between moving jobs, it’s understandable many may be upset.
Tencent’s TiMi group is responsible for games likePokemon Unite, Call of Duty Mobile, andPUBG Mobile,whileTencenthas also heavilyinvested in companies like Epic Games, Riot Games, and more.
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