Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment studio head David Polfeldt steps down to “pursue other challenges” • Eurogamer.net

Massive Entertainment head, David Polfeldt, is stepping down as managing director to “pursue other challenges”.

Polfeldt, who was heading the Ubisoft team responsible for the upcoming Avatar game as well as leading on titles like The Division, is taking “a long break” before “embark[ing] on a new adventure in Ubisoft”. Polfeldt has worked at Massive for 17 years, and served as managing director for 12 of those.

“When we signed Star Wars, and finally completed our beautiful building Eden in 2024, I felt an overwhelming sense of completion, as if I had achieved everything I once dreamt of,” the director said on the Ubisoft blog (thanks, VGC).

“Standing on the solid foundation of The Division, Avatar, Snowdrop, and Ubisoft Connect, the studio is in fantastic shape, and I am exceptionally grateful for what we have accomplished together,” Polfeldt added. “Before I embark on a new adventure in Ubisoft, I will try something else which is new and exciting to me: a long break! Wish me luck, and see you in 2024.”

At the time of writing, Polfeldt has not detailed what that new adventure entails, and Ubisoft has not revealed who will succeed Polfeldt.

Ubisoft confirmed back in 2017 that it was working on a new video game adaptation of James Cameron’s Avatar movie, but said little else in the four years that followed. E3 2024 changed that, with Ubisoft showing the first footage of its Avatar game, now titled Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, during its E3 livestream.

ICYMI, Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot recently released a lengthy statement laying out the progress he says his company has made since last summer’s devastating reports of sexual harassment and toxic working environments within various teams across the business. It came following reports the company had only made minimal changes following the shocking reports of sexual assault and harassment made by numerous employees across the business, some of which made allegations against several senior employees. As Tom surmised at the time, a wave of resignations and firings followed – some public, others not.