Ubisoft axes ‘Prince of Persia: Sands of Time’ remake, announces major company restructure

Ubisoft canceled the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, as well as the removal of five other games. Announced on Wednesday, the cancellations are part of a major restructuring of the company aimed at improving its growth and finances – with some cost reduction having already been achieved through layoffs.

THE Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time The remake was originally scheduled to launch on January 21, 2021 when it was first announced in 2020. That date came and went, with Ubisoft announcing several delays before moving development of the game from its Mumbai and Pune studios to Montreal in 2022. Unfortunately, the delays persisted even after the studio switch, and by 2024, Ubisoft claimed Sands of time would arrive in 2026.

Now there will be no release at all, with Ubisoft having stopped production of the game six years after its announcement.

“While the project has real potential, we have not been able to achieve the level of quality you deserve, and pursuing it would have required more time and investment than we could responsibly commit,” reads a statement released by the manager. Prince of Persia Count X on Wednesday.

“Prince of Persia as a universe and legacy continues to be very important to us, and this decision does not mean we are moving away from the franchise.”

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Fans reacted with disappointment, taking to social media to express their frustration. Wednesday’s announcement left a lot of bitterness, as they expected that Sands of time remake since it was announced half a decade ago.

Ubisoft announces massive restructuring

The Sands of TimeThe cancellation is part of a major structural reshuffle at Ubisoft. Revising its three-year roadmap, the company is refocusing on open-world and live gaming, and plans to make “accelerated investments in generative AI for gamers.”

A central element of Ubisoft’s restructuring is its new operating model, focused on five specialist “Creative Houses”. These new units within the company will each focus on a different game genre and handle the production and publishing of a title themselves. Ubisoft is also establishing two new internal organizations, Creative Network and Core Services, which will provide production support to the five Houses.

“Each [Creative House] is built around a clear gender and brand direction, with full responsibility and financial ownership, led by dedicated management teams,” said Yves Guillemot, founder and CEO of Ubisoft. “This is a step change, building on a more decentralized creative organization with faster decision-making and the best cross-functional core services that support and serve each creative house.

CH1, aka Vantage Studios, will focus on developing Ubisoft’s biggest franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far from itAnd Rainbow six. CH2 will focus on competitive and cooperative shooters such as The divisionGhost Recognition, And Cell burst. CH3 will take care of live matches like For honorThe crew, And Skull and bones. CH4 will deal with narrative games or games set in fantasy worlds, notably Anno, Rayman, Beyond Good and Evil, and yes, Prince of Persia. Finally, CH5 will work on casual and family brands Just danceUno, and Hasbro.

However, not all Ubisoft games will be able to be transferred to one of these Houses, because Sands of time and five other titles were canceled – a “strategic decision to refocus its portfolio” after reviewing its content pipeline. Four of the canceled titles had not yet been announced, three of which were brand new IP licenses. According to Ubisoft, the six games were removed because they did not “meet the new enhanced quality criteria as well as the more selective portfolio prioritization criteria.”

Guillemot said that while Ubisoft’s restructuring will have a significant impact on its finances over the next two years, he expects it to emerge stronger. Unfortunately, not all of his employees will be there to appreciate it. The company has made continuous layoffs in an effort to cut costs in recent years, reducing its workforce by nearly 21,000 in 2022 to 17,097 at its earnings call last November.

Further layoffs are expected as Ubisoft continues its cost-cutting program in earnest, with its Halifax and Stockholm studios having already closed. The company laid off another 29 workers after restructuring its Abu Dhabi studio earlier this month and confirmed it planned to cut 55 jobs at its Massive and Stockholm studios.