It was a trifecta of reputational damage that buried Unity. As such, Unity plotted a path through the French Revolution without ever picking a side – a feat of story gymnastics, perhaps, but one that riled up left-wing French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who called the result 'propaganda'.
What’s more, Unity bore the hallmarks of Ubisoft's apolitical phase – a mandate from on high that its games should present many perspectives and endorse none. Hascoët and Mallat ultimately resigned after reports of sexual misconduct at Ubisoft studios. Years later, sources speaking to Bloomberg claimed that Ubisoft's marketing department and chief creative officer, Serge Hascoët, had actively resisted any pushes towards female protagonists in Assassin's Creed. For many, the image summed up the company's problem with diversity. The cover of Unity featured four lightly-bearded blokes of identical build and complexion – an unfortunate side effect of Ubisoft's plan to let everyone play as Arno in co-op, ensuring continuity with the solo campaign. It was the final controversy in a release campaign that had, like Assassin’s Creed's weather programmers, achieved a perfect storm.
