Russell Lees, a 13-year veteran at Ubisoft, has passed away at the age of 64 following a heart attack. News of Lees’ passing was shared on Twitter by Darby McDevitt, a fellow writer for multiple Ubisoft properties. Lees spent more than a decade working on the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry franchises. Notably, his writing can be found in Far Cry: New Dawn, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s Wrath of the Druids DLC, Assassin’s Creed Unity‘s Paris Stories and Murder Mysteries, and more.
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“He will be missed, and remembered always as the most ideal artist in this busy, hectic industry — devoted, collaborative, patient, and kind beyond measure,” McDevitt wrote.ย
Following the announcement of Lees’ passing, there has been an outpouring of support from several current and former employees of Ubisoft across social media. On Twitter, many shared memories and kind words.
“Still gutted by this. Russell was a great writer, friend and human. Contributed endlessly to AC and beyond as a playwright. Just a wonderful soul and will never be forgotten,” writes former Assassin’s Creed writer Alain Mercieca.
“My friend, you meant so much to so many people and I’m deeply grateful that I find myself among them. You were such a mentor to me. Such a shining light in this industry. You were the best of us. I’ll miss you forever,” writes Christopher Grilli, current lead writer at Ubisoft Montreal.
“Russ was the kind of guy who could teach you about life with just a silence. He had a wicked laugh, an open ear, and the best femme fatale table read voice in the biz,” writes former Ubisoft writer Betty Robertson. “He was generous with his experience and a novel voice in the industry. Play his stories so he may live on.”ย
As Robertson points out, Lees will live on through his work, and gamers all over the world can experience his stories, even if they never had the chance to know him personally. The kind words shared about the writer say quite a bit about how he was perceived by friends and colleagues, and it seems he will be deeply missed. Clearly, he made quite an impact on the video game industry!
[H/T: The Gamer]
