Ubisoft has canceled the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.
The decision comes as the company has announced a major restructuring for the company. It also means five other games were cancelled, including three new IPs and a mobile game.
Ubisoft says that the cancelations were a result of the games not meeting “the new enhanced quality as well as more selective portfolio prioritization criteria at Group level.”
A Complete Ubisoft Restructure
The restructuring will see the company form five “creative houses“, the first of which being the recently formed Vantage Studios. That studio oversees the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six franchises.
The other four creative houses will hold franchises like The Division, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, Rayman, and others.
Insider Gaming had reported that the marketing plans for the game suggested a release in Mid-January. Even public company documents stated that the game was set to release by the end of the fiscal year.
The Sands of Time Remake was first announced in 2020, the game had an up and down development cycle. It was originally scheduled to release in January 2021 before being delayed to March 2021 in December 2020. Then, just a month before its March release, the game was delayed again to an unspecified date.
After that, Ubisoft went silent until it was announced that development was being moved to Ubisoft Montreal. When Ubisoft Montreal took over, development on the game was completely restarted, which included a more ““realistic approach”. That included a graphical overall, new animations, and new mechanics for both combat and parkour.
In the announcement of the cancelation, the game’s developers said that although the game had potential, they never could reach the level of quality players deserved. Continuing the development, they said, “would have required more time and investment than we could responsibly commit.”
“Prince of Persia as a universe and a legacy continues to matter deeply to us, and this decision does not mean we’re stepping away from the franchise,” the team said.
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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Not surprising at all. Ubisoft has been in the gutter since AC Shadows being middling for them and their other development issues were bound to catch up.
I was really looking forward to the sands of tiling remake. This got me excited when it was first announced and yes it was rough but was looking forward to seeing how it was going to be updated for modern day consoles. This will sting to me for a long time.
Splinter cell remake cancelled? Honestly not surprised this thing was a mess like Ubisoft