When Game Informer reported the leadership change at the upper echelons of the Rainbow 6 Patriots development team, many commentators wondered why Ubisoft would move so aggressively away from such a promising concept for a first-person shooter. Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat says that in spite of the restructuring, the vision that creative director David Sears shared with us on our cover story visit is still largely intact.

We spoke with Mallat, who said Sears' departure from the project was a mutual decision between himself and Ubisoft Montreal, and that it isn't affecting the company's commitment to the game.

"We're definitely going on with Rainbow, too, evolving the vision that came from David's initial input," he told us in an interview today.

Though Sears and the other staffers mentioned in the original report are no longer on Team Rainbow, both Mallat and Sears confirmed that he is still employed by Ubisoft Montreal.

"To paraphrase Mark Twain, I'm not dead, and Rainbow is still very much alive," Sears said. "I've watched the forum comments, and one of the things that's really important for everyone to understand is senior management and the editorial group challenged me to create something plausible, relevant, and that touches on the current fears of the U.S. citizens to the point that I was almost surprised myself we were taking these creative risks. They are still behind it. I spent time working on it because I love it, but there comes a point where you give the vision to everybody and they embrace it and start telling me what the vision is now."

As for Sears' new role, Mallat says Ubisoft Montreal has moved him onto "a major project for a major brand."

"Another opportunity arose that was a really good fit, and I am more than delighted to contribute to that," Sears said.

Mallat also confirmed that Rainbow 6 Patriots is still slated for a 2013 return.

To learn more about David Sears' original vision for the game, check out our cover story hub by clicking on the banner below.