Key Splinter Cell, Far Cry 2 designer returns to Ubisoft after five years

Nearly seven years after working as creative director on the critically acclaimed Far Cry 2, and over five years after leaving Ubisoft, Clint Hocking has revealed that he has returned to the French mega-publisher that has given him all of his published game credits.

In a blog post detailing the decision, Hocking notes that he hasn't actually shipped a game since the 2008 release of Far Cry 2, and that he's recently "become anxious and depressed" over that journeyman status. "In the end, for me at least, five years is just too long to be rootless."

Before his departure in 2010, Hocking worked at Ubisoft Montreal for ten years, working on titles primarily in the Splinter Cell series before Far Cry 2. His return to the company is taking place at Ubisoft's Toronto studio, however, where Hocking writes that he's excited to reunite with personal friends who helped found the newer, smaller location. In an interview on the Ubisoft blog, Hocking said he can't go into detail on what he's currently working on at Ubisoft.