Serge Hascoët, a creative enthusiast

For nearly thirty-five years, Serge Hascoët worked in the design and creativity department at Ubisoft, which in thirty years has become the world’s third largest video game company.

He has led the company through several major turning points, notably by giving players the opportunity to decide the fate of their own adventures.

Neither graphic designer nor developer, Serge Hascöet’s role can be defined as detecting trends and talents.

A look back on Serge Hascoët’s career path

Born in Brest in 1965, Serge Hascoët completed his studies with an Associate in Science. Describing himself as an “average student”, he applied to Ubisoft following a job offer discovered in a daily French newspaper, Ouest France.

Serge Hascoët joined the world of video games in 1987 as a “game designer”. He gradually evolved within the company as “lead game designer” and then as “studio manager” on an international level, notably in Europe and Asia Pacific.

In September 1995, Serge Hascoët experienced a landmark in his professional career with the release of the game Rayman, to which he contributed alongside Michel Ancel.

This video game following a fictional character’s quest became a worldwide success and marked a turning point in Ubisoft’s reputation.

Serge Hascoët subsequently became Ubisoft’s creative director and led several major changes within the company.

Fascinated by Japanese video games such as Zelda, he steered Ubisoft towards casual games later known as “open world” games such as Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed.

Serge Hascöet is behind several major successes: Watch Dogs and The Division for example. By choosing to leave the player the possibility of building his own adventures, Serge Hascoët expresses a certain vision of video games and their role.

Serge Hascoët’s vision of video games

For Serge Hascoët, each game is an experience and a lifestyle: playing a thousand times will allow you to live a thousand experiences. Moreover, the player is seen not as a spectator but as a real actor in the game.

In order to make the game as realistic as possible, Serge Hascoët puts himself in the player’s shoes and confronts reality. Indeed, according to him, during the making of a game it is essential to go onsite to the areas that have been recreated in order to be as close as possible to the reality of the field.

By exploring what is real, deep experiences can be transmitted to the players, allowing them to expand their vision.

From his passion for photography, in particular street photography, and his admiration for Ernest Hemingway, Serge Hascoët drew an ability to observe the world, to look at its mechanisms and people.

Serge Hascoët is also interested in the usefulness of the game and what the player can gain from it. For him, it is essential for the player to be able to learn something. From this perspective, neuroscience and cognitive sciences must be at the heart of the design.

The possibility of using video games as a social learning axis or as a tool against educational difficulties such as dyslexia, are some ways to put the industry to a good cause.