Clint Hocking, the veteran developer who served most recently as creative director on Assassin’s Creed Hexe, has founded a new indie studio called Build Machine Games just two months after departing Ubisoft. The announcement came via a LinkedIn post this week, with Hocking offering little beyond the studio’s mission statement and two open job listings.
“We’re lean and fast, but bold and ambitious,” Hocking wrote. Build Machine Games aims to “expand the expressive range and power of the medium with emotionally resonant, socially relevant games that challenge players’ perspectives, pre-conceptions and empathy as much as their reasoning and reflexes.” No projects, platforms, or timelines accompanied the announcement. The studio’s founding comes roughly two months after Hocking’s departure from Ubisoft, where he had been attached to Hexe since at least 2022.
Build Machine Games is hiring its first team
The studio’s website lists two open positions: a programmer and an artist. Build Machine Games describes itself as seeking “experienced developers looking for a flat structure in a very hands-on environment.” The emphasis on a flat structure and hands-on work suggests a small team rather than a conventional studio hierarchy. The site gives no indication of genre, platform, target audience, or how far along any project currently stands.
Hocking’s career before Build Machine Games
Hocking spent much of his early career at Ubisoft, where he became creative director on Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Far Cry 2. He later held roles at LucasArts, Valve, and Amazon Game Studios before returning to Ubisoft in 2015. His most recent projects there were Watch Dogs Legion, a 2020 open-world game that let players recruit any civilian in the game world as a playable character, and Assassin’s Creed Hexe, which has not been shown in meaningful detail since its announcement.
Watch Dogs Legion drew criticism alongside praise for that structural experiment. Far Cry 2 similarly divided players with its focus on systemic simulation over accessibility, including weapon degradation, malaria mechanics, and fire spread. Both games remain points of reference in discussions about AAA titles that prioritize systems over genre convention.
Hexe moves forward under new leadership
Hocking’s departure from Ubisoft was followed weeks later by that of Hexe game director Benoit Richer. Jean Guesdon, head of content for the Assassin’s Creed series, stepped into the creative director role in February. Guesdon has described the project as “a unique, darker, narrative-driven Assassin’s Creed experience” set during what he called “a pivotal moment in history.” An early announcement trailer established a gothic, witch-hunt-era setting with imagery tied to early modern witch trials. No release window has been confirmed.