Remembering Russell Lees (1957 – 2022)

"We lost a dear friend and brilliant colleague this week. Writer and Narrative Designer Russell Lees was a part of the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry families for over a decade. All who worked with him will attest to his patience, his generosity, his passion, & his bright spirit. He will be missed, and remembered always as the most ideal artist in this busy, hectic industry -- devoted, collaborative, patient, and kind beyond measure. from Montreal to wherever you are now, Russ. Rock on."

Today, I learned that I had lost a great friend. Russell was the Lead Writer on Wrath of the Druids. We walked hand in hand to make this story that I consider to be a turning point of my life. I can say that his presence, his passion and his kindness kept me going every day. When we parted ways, we were sure that our paths would cross again. Now, I can only look back at the time we spent working together. All my thoughts go to his family in these difficult times. Russell will be missed.

I am just devastated about the news. I worked with him on AC3, AC Unity, and AC Syndicate. He was endlessly patient and kind, the level-headed writer who quietly got it done, even when the deadlines were short and we were all stressed and tired. He wrote the Dreadful Crimes on AC Syndicate, among other things. I still use those as reference today when I'm talking about writing for investigative gameplay. The past days I've had a flood of messages from Ubi and ex-Ubi writers who worked with him, everyone with fond memories. He worked with so many people, over so many years. We're all stricken and saddened by his loss. And a late addition - if you ever hear a character in a game say the words "dead as a mackerel", that was Russell. I found it amongst our guard patrol lines on Unity, and then Syndicate. He told me he tried to work it into every project.

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.

Russell was a part of our dream team of writers on AC Syndicate. He helped make the impossible possible. He’s going to be missed.

Russell had a way of listening deeply, like he was seeing inside you, and a calm assuredness. He always knew what to do, on top of being an excellent writer and person. This is a tragedy and he will be dearly missed.

I didn't get to know Russell well, but as a newcomer, professionally, to Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft, its tools and processes, he was always patient, kind and happy to explain things to me. No question was too small, too unimportant. He was Good People. GNU Russell Lees.

Russell was immensely kind. He was talented and humble. He was always there to support me, sometimes early in the morning when I needed to talk. He was one of the best person I ever met. I already miss him and his smile so much.

He was such an absolute pleasure to work with briefly on AC Unity. Even working between two cities, we had a great time working on the mysteries and he was always so kind, generous, and an incredibly sharp writer. Can’t believe he’s gone.

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. He was generous with his experience and a novel voice in the industry. Play his stories so he may live on.

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.