Gardening done: Patrice Désilets joins THQ Montreal today

The man with gaming's greatest beard is back in action: former Assassin's Creed boss Patrice Désilets joins THQ Montreal as of today. And core boss Danny BIlson's waiting to hear what he's got planned.

"I have no idea what he's making. That's the absolute truth. That's not just for depositions. I have no idea. I could swear it on my children's head. I do not know," he told Eurogamer at E3 last week.

"But the great thing is on Monday, I'm going to call him up and go, 'Patrice, what do you want to make?' And he's going to tell me. I'm hoping I love it. I think I will.

"He's fantastic. He's a great talent, and we're really excited to put him to work on Monday."

The former creative director of the Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia series took a "creative break from the industry" and left Ubisoft Montreal last June, just before the start of promotional work for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood at E3.

After the announcement of his hiring and the formation of THQ Montreal, Désilets said that "out of respect for those who gave me my first chance in the industry," he wouldn't start until today.

You can pretty much effectively take that as another way of saying he's been on gardening leave. Until today, that is.