Ubisoft Montreal director and scriptwriter Corey May has left the company, taking a new job as narrative director at independent game studio Certain Affinity, the Austin, Texas-based company announced today.

　　May spent close to a decade at Ubisoft Montreal, where he oversaw the narrative direction for all of the developer's projects. This includes the original Assassin's Creed and its sequels, as well as Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. He has also worked in the film business with through Sekretagent Productions. His film credits include The Plague, Sleeping Beauty, The Hunt and Dogs of Babel.

　　The developer's move to Certain Affinity might seem like a strange one, as the studio is perhaps best known for working on other developer's franchises instead of its own. But Certain Affinity said in a statement that May comes to the company as the studio "enters an ambitious new phase."

　　"This is the first of several new key leadership positions as we evolve from helping others with AAA development to developing entire games on our own," Certain Affinity president Max Hoberman said. "While multiplayer will continue to be an important part of our DNA and our project portfolio, we're also intent on becoming experts at single-player and cooperative experiences. Best-in-class talent like Corey building and leading our Narrative Department is a huge leap in this direction, and his experience and perspective will be tremendous assets to us."

　　Certain Affinity previously worked on maps for Halo 4, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Left 4 Dead. The studio's own games include Crimson Alliance and Age of Booty.

　　But Certain Affinity teased that the studio may have even more of its own projects in the works.

　　"The company is building new departments from the ground up, including the narrative team, which will work on all of its future projects," it said. "Certain Affinity is transforming itself from a studio doing primarily co-development on major AAA titles, into a stand-alone game development studio creating best-in-class, top-tier console and PC games."

　　For his part, May said joining Certain Affinity as its new narrative director was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." He holds Bachelor and Masters degrees from Harvard and the University of Southern California.