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Former Assassin’s Creed series lead Marc-Alexis Côté is suing Ubisoft for damages, alleging that his abrupt October departure from the company after 20 years wasn’t a matter of personal choice, but a case of “constructive dismissal”. That, in non-legalese, means that the developer believes he was left with no choice but to resign, having been offered new roles he viewed as demotions amid a round of corporate musical chairs.
Nintendo allegedly expressed dissatisfaction at Sega during the development of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, after seeing Sonic’s foot placed ahead of Mario’s.
The incident has come to light in an Arcade Attack Retro Gaming Network interview with Sega veteran Ryoichi Hasegawa, who worked on the Wii and Nintendo DS sports minigame classic ahead of its release back in 2007.
According to Hasegawa, Nintendo insisted that Sega change artwork set to be used for the game’s cover that depicted Mario’s foot placed behind that of Sonic’s.
“There was one funny story,” Hasegawa recalled of the game’s development. “There was artwork of Mario and Sonic, and you know, other characters standing on the field. And those artworks were used for the package, the instruction manual cover, and the cartridge label, and things like that…
“There was one small error and Sonic’s foot was in front of Mario’s foot, ” he continued, “and Nintendo demanded us to change the priority.”
Asked if Sega agreed to the change, Hasegawa said the game’s developers “of course” made the change for Nintendo. “We were like ‘oh my god’ we have to change it,” he concluded, “or there will be no deal.”
Nintendo has frequently been reported to be a stickler for its characters appearing exactly as it wants — another infamous example is the company sending notes to Disney to describe how Bowser should hold his teacup during a brief cameo in Wreck-It Ralph.
As it was, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was a smash hit for Sega, selling 10 million copies and spawning a string of sequels. Alas, the franchise ended after its final game in 2020, when the International Olympic Committee chose not to renew its licensing deal with Sega and Nintendo, and instead pursue partnerships based around mobile gaming and NFTs.
“Basically the IOC wanted to bring [it] back to themselves internally and look at other partners so they would get more money,” producer Lee Cocker, who worked on the series while at marketing company ISM Ltd, previously confirmed.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Rockstar North, the Edinburgh office of GTA 6 developers Rockstar Games, has been cordoned off by emergency services following reports of an explosion in the building.
Ex-Assassin’s Creed boss Marc-Alexis Côté is suing Ubisoft for $1.3 million in lost severance pay and damages following his shock exit from the company last year.
Radio Canada broke word of the lawsuit, which Coté has filed against his former employer due to the manner in which he left the company — an “unacceptable demotion” that constituted a “disguised dismissal.”
Côté’s departure from Ubisoft last October came as a surprise to fans and the company’s thousands of Assassin’s Creed developers, just weeks after the brand became part of Ubisoft’s new Tencent-backed business entity Vantage Studios. Côté had served more than 20 years at Ubisoft and worked on a string of Assassin’s Creed hits, before his promotion to head up the flagship brand in 2022.
Ubisoft told staff of Côté’s departure via an internal email that discussed the need for Vantage Studios’ leadership team to be “aligned” with its core goals. At the time, IGN reported that Côté had been offered a role as part of Vantage Studios’ leadership, but declined.
Côté’s lawsuit claims that he was essentially replaced in his role early in 2025 by Vantage Studios’ newly-installed leadership, Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot — the cousin and son of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. With this layer of management now above him, Côté claims he then learned over the summer of 2025 that Vantage was now seeking to hire a new Assassin’s Creed franchise boss, too.
Radio Canada’s report suggests that Côté enquired about the role but was told he was not suitable and would not be supported by Yves Guillemot, as the position was to be based in Ubisoft’s base in France, rather than in Canada, where Côté is based and every major Assassin’s Creed title has been led.
Côté’s lawsuit allegedly claims that he was offered a “Head of Production” role, reporting into the incoming new “Head of Franchise”, and then alternatively the chance to lead another business unit, working on second-tier Ubisoft franchises.
During a two-week period of reflection on what to do next, Côté told Ubisoft his exit from the company would require severance pay. It was at this point that Ubisoft allegedly told Côté not to show up for work as expected on October 13 and await a formal response. The following day, October 14, Ubisoft announced that Côté had departed.
In an internal note to Ubisoft staff obtained by IGN at the time, Derennes said he was “disappointed” by Côté’s decision, but that the former leader “had his own expectations and priorities related to Vantage Studios’ creation and future.”
“Following the organizational restructuring announced in March 2025, Marc-Alexis Côté has chosen to pursue a new path elsewhere outside of Ubisoft,” a Ubisoft spokesperson said in a comment to IGN at the time. “While we are saddened to see him go, we’re confident that our talented teams will carry forward the strong foundation he helped build.”
Now, Côté’s lawsuit alleges his exit from Ubisoft constituted an abuse of power and resulted in damage to his reputation. The amount he is seeking — $1.3 million — is the sum of two years’ salary and a further $75,000 in damages. Côté is also seeking for Ubisoft to lift his non-compete agreement, which currently limits his ability to work elsewhere.
Representatives for Côté have confirmed the lawsuit. IGN has contacted Ubisoft for comment.
Côté, known to colleagues by his initials as “Mac”, joined Ubisoft in 2005 as a software engineer, before working as a lead engine programmer on Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. From there, he joined the Assassin’s Creed series in time for Brotherhood, working as a lead level designer, before serving as a game director on Assassin’s Creed 3.
As creative director, Côté led development on a string of projects built at Ubisoft Quebec, the talented team which made Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag DLC Freedom Cry, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and then Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, for which he served as senior producer.
In March 2022, as Quebec worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Ubisoft sought to relaunch the series with a more consistent story focus via the Animus Hub (a project then envisioned under the title of Assassin’s Creed Infinity), it was Côté that took the reigns on the entire franchise, laying out a Marvel-style slate of upcoming projects that included the forthcoming Assassin’s Creed Hexe, which still lacks a release date. The next release in the franchise is widely-expected to be an Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remaster, meanwhile.
Image credit: Andrej Ivanov/AFP via Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Valve have reportedly rewritten Steam’s AI disclosure form, essentially a declaration of a game’s generative AI usage that developers and publishers must complete to sell on the platform. The new form, shared by consultant Simon Carless, now specifies that while the presence of in-game GenAI content must still be divulged, including on the game’s store page, the usage of AI-based production tools for “efficiency gains” does not require disclosure.
“We are aware that many modern game development environments have AI powered tools built into them,” the update form reads. “Efficiency gains through the use of these tools is not focus of this section. Instead, it is concerned with the use of AI in creating content that ships with your game, and is consumed by players.”
Complete global saturation.
Resident Evil Requiem, the next mainline entry in Capcom’s survival horror series, is scheduled to launch in just over a month on 27th February 2026. It seems, however, that Capcom might have another title lined up for a reveal later this year.
According to Dusk Golem, who has had a history of accurately reporting Capcom’s plans for Resident Evil, the company will be announcing a remake of Resident Evil: Code Veronica in 2026 (thanks, VGC).
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Happy new week of PC game releases, all! First, the customary paragraph of Maw musings. What we refer to as the Maw goes by many other names in different regions, as different cultures react to its cosmic incursions. Across the channel in Normandy, generations of monks have addressed the creature as La Bête des Trous. The Finnish know the Maw as Tuleva Syöjä. In the United States, meanwhile they call it Friday Night at Applebee’s.
We’ve rounded up the best deals for Sunday, January 18, below. Don’t miss your chance to save on these deals!
Borderlands 4 is on sale this weekend for $39.99. This weekend is the perfect time to pick up a copy in case you missed the latest Borderlands adventure. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Borderlands 4 gives the series the massive kick in the pants it has needed, with a fantastic open world and greatly improved combat, even if bugs and invisible walls can sometimes throw off that groove.”
Mafia: The Old Country is on sale for $34.99 this weekend at Best Buy, and this is the lowest we’ve seen this game yet! Set in Sicily during the 1900s, The Old Country follows Enzo Favara on a journey of proving his worth. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Mafia: The Old Country is a conventional but effective return to the linear and tightly story-driven format of the original Mafia and Mafia II, and it boasts a wonderful eye and ear for detail.”
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was only released in December, and today, you can save $5 off a physical copy of the Switch 2 Edition at Amazon. The latest adventure of Samus Aran takes place on the planet Viewros, and you’re given new psychic abilities to utilize in navigating the secrets of the planet. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an excellent, if relatively uneven, revival that reaches heights worthy of the Metroid name in its best moments.”
Launching March 1, you can secure this newly announced Ocarina of Time LEGO set today. This set depicts the ultimate final battle at the end of OoT, featuring Zelda, Link, Ganon, and the legendary Triforce. If you’re a fan of The Legend of Zelda, this LEGO set is the perfect addition to any shelf, room, or collection.
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 released for Nintendo Switch last Fall, and today, you can score this double pack for $58.99 at Woot! These two adventures are some of Mario’s greatest, making this a must-own game for any Switch owner. Plus, there’s a free update for Nintendo Switch 2 that enables 4K support.
Last week, Nintendo revealed the first new set of Joy-Con 2, which feature purple and green colors. These are set to launch on February 12 alongside Mario Tennis Fever, so now’s the time to secure a new pair if you’re planning on heading to the courts together with friends next month.
Little Nightmares III is on sale today at Amazon for $29.83. If you’ve yet to pick up the latest entry on Nintendo Switch 2, this weekend is a great time to score this co-op adventure on sale.
Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best games of the decade, maybe even ever. The expansive world and formula that Breath of the Wild introduced was perfected on, with Sky Islands and The Depths adding to an already gigantic world. Right now, you can take home a physical copy for $46.99, which is 33% off the usual price.
The Art of Final Fantasy XVI is a 320 page collection of the stylish game’s concept, character, weapon, and location art. Each piece by Kazuya Takahashi is included in this book, in addition to concept art from the whole team of artists. With the LOGOS lore book set to release soon in English, this is the perfect companion piece to complete your FFXVI collection.
This one keeps dropping lower! Digimon Story Time Stranger was the long-awaited next entry in the Digimon Story franchise, and it turned out to be a major hit. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Digimon Story: Time Stranger builds on its predecessors to deliver one of the best Digimon RPGs to date. It has a much more engaging story this time around thanks to its clever time travel setup and a charismatic and lively cast of Digimon characters.”
When legacy becomes a liability.
After nearly two decades of dormancy for the series and an infamously drawn-out development cycle, it feels slightly surreal to now have Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in the rearview. The game arrived under immense expectation, and it’s fair to say it ultimately proved more divisive than Nintendo and developer Retro Studios had hoped.
If Metacritic scores are anything to go by, Prime 4 reviewed well but stopped short of the near-universal acclaim enjoyed by the original trilogy. It’s been described as a game of ‘high highs and low lows,’ a characterisation that I feel broadly holds true. In hindsight, though, it’s a game I wish I could have experienced with less of the noise that surrounded it.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Despite being on TV for nearly 30 years, with 28 seasons and over 330 episodes so far, there have been shockingly few video games based on the hit animated television series, South Park. That could be down to the fact that video games take years to make and the average South Park episode only takes a few days, meaning the usual topical pop culture references that fuel the show might feel positively ancient by the time a video game hits shelves. Regardless, a dozen South Park games have managed to buck that trend and actually get released since the show debuted in 1997. Some of them great and some of them..not so great. Here are the best, worst, and weirdest South Park games.
The first South Park video game ever made was an ambitious one, even if a first-person snowball fighting simulator didn’t exactly make a ton of sense for the brand. But since local multiplayer FPS games like Goldeneye were all the rage on the N64 in 1998, it’s no surprise that South Park got a similar treatment, even if the end result was much sillier. Developer Iguana Entertainment (known mostly for the Turok game series at the time) and publisher Acclaim Entertainment came together to create a solid FPS game packed with South Park references, including a recreation of the show’s theme song, multiple playable characters, and Kenny dying brutally before the title screen even appears. It’s not a great game by any stretch, and seeing the traditionally flat and hand drawn South Park characters as low poly 3D models was an odd fit, but it had enough South Park fan service to make it worth checking out at the time.
A year later South Park: Chef’s Luv Shack arrived, this time with a graphical style much truer to the show’s 2D look. Developed once again by Acclaim, it moved away from first person combat, instead providing a game show-style minigame and trivia collection for Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman to compete in. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to play this game without other human players, so if you were an only child (or just a loser like Butters), you were pretty much out of luck. Additionally, the limited trivia question set led to a lot of repetition, meaning the joke got old pretty fast, and fans were once again left holding a licensed video game letdown.
The third and final Acclaim Entertainment South Park video game once again delivered an experience that critics disliked and diehard fans merely tolerated, this time attempting to take on the popular kart racing genre with the South Park license slapped on. South Park Rally is a crude and ugly kart racer with unreliable controls and lackluster track design, but hey, you can drive Big Gay Al’s car and throw Mr. Hanky turds at other players, so at least there’s that.
Despite the show’s immense popularity, South Park video games ended up taking a seven year hiatus after this capped off Acclaim’s trilogy of games, which probably pleased South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, seeing as they once said during a DVD commentary for an episode of the show: “Oh God, the South Park games were so bad. We were so bummed out on those, because we love playing video games.”
In 2007, South Park celebrated its 10th season on the air less than spectacularly by releasing a bare bones, Europe exclusive mobile game that referenced key moments from the show. South Park 10: The Game is a short and very no-frills platformer that looks like a fan made flash game. Aside from collecting hidden Cheesy Poofs in each level, there’s not much to do or see once you roll credits in under an hour. Still, it was nice to see somebody utilizing the license again, even if the final product was totally average. But you could play as a cow nearly two decades before Mario Kart World let you, so hey, there’s that.
Two years later, Xbox Live Arcade got its own South Park tower defense game, pitting its main characters against waves of ginger kids, hippies, cows, and more as they tried to save their idyllic and weird little town. The 2D art direction, official voices and sound effects, and iconic humor elevated a pretty bog standard tower defense outing into an actually solid South Park video game.
Once again revisiting the game show setting for reasons that are unclear, 2009’s South Park Mega Millionaire – hot off the heels of 2008’s hit film, Slumdog Millionaire – was a mobile game that decided it was a good idea to strap roller skates to the South Park kids and put them in precarious platforming situations in front of a live studio audience. It’s not a great game by any stretch, but it does have one of the best South Park video game jokes of all time, as the kids survive a Japanese game show in hopes to win a ten thousand yen prize; unbeknownst to them, ten thousand yen equates to roughly sixty three dollars.
2012’s Tenorman’s Revenge is another Xbox exclusive South Park game, this time revisiting Scott Tenorman, a character from the infamous South Park episode where Cartman makes Scott eat chili made from the bodies of Scott’s own dead parents. Well, Scott Tenorman has returned to get revenge in video game form in this brief and mediocre platforming game which is only briefly improved by the occasional boss fight and its central plot device, which focuses on the kids having to recover a stolen Xbox 360 hard drive along with all of their precious game save files.
As you can probably tell by now, the first 16 years of South Park games left a lot to be desired. Everything changed in 2014 with South Park: The Stick of Truth, a genuinely great RPG that, unlike previous South Park games, was made with direct input from the show’s creators. Known for their previous work on franchises like Fallout and Star Wars, developer Obsidian Entertainment built a fantastic and hilarious 2.5D role playing game that looked and felt almost exactly like an episode of the show. It’s not just one of the best licensed games ever made, it’s also a fantastic turn-based RPG in its own right, and definitely the only game in the genre where you have to shrink down your character small enough to explore a human anus so you can disarm a bomb. Take that, Final Fantasy.
Zen Studios, creators of the excellent digital pinball franchise Zen Pinball, created a set of South Park pinball tables that totally understood the assignment, mixing rock solid gameplay and hilarious show references to excellent results. There’s even a dedicated Butters pinball table, as well as Mr. Hanky inspired brown pinballs, in case you ever wanted to knock a bunch of pellet-shaped turds around to compete for high scores.
2017’s sequel to The Stick of Truth was The Fractured But Whole, which was probably/possibly legally as close as they could get to putting the word “butthole” in a video game title. Fractured But Whole is another fantastic and funny RPG, this time satirizing the superhero movie genre more than just role playing games in general, and once again looking exactly like an episode of the show. This time around the battle system takes place on a grid complete with environmental hazards like LEGO bricks that can injure characters when stepped on, and features levels like the Peppermint Hippo, a strip club complete with a lapdance minigame sequence, just in case you were worried that South Park would lose its edge in a Ubisoft published video game.
That same year, South Park: Phone Destroyer was – you guessed it – a mobile game, which just so happens to be the only South Park mobile game you can still download and play on your phone today. Phone Destroyer is a free-to-play card battling game that does a surprisingly good job of playing to the strengths of its platform. You’ll receive believable calls and texts from Cartman, and you can unlock multiple endings based on how much real money players spend on premium microtransactions, even shaming you and telling you to seek help with addiction if you spend too much. More mobile games should do that. The world would be a better place.
The latest (but hopefully not the last) South Park video game is South Park: Snow Day, a sloppy action adventure roguelike that simultaneously attempts to complete the story established in Stick of Truth and Fractured But Whole, while also returning to the original South Park game’s snowball fighting roots. It’s a shame that Snow Day doesn’t even come close to being fun or funny, with IGN’s own review calling it “thoroughly unenjoyable,” and “uncharacteristicly toothless and unfunny.”
It’s been a weird, windy road for South Park games, but with the recent Fortnite collaboration and megadeal renewal of the show, something tells me we’re just getting started and that hopefully, more South Park games are on the way.
So what’s your favorite South Park video game ever made? What’s your dream South Park game idea that you’d love to see someday? Go on down to the comments section and leave your woes behind. And if you want more about video game tie-ins to highly successful animated sitcoms that have been on TV for decades, go check out my video about the best, worst, and weirdest Simpsons video games.
