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

Ubisoft has cancelled the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, as well as axed five other games. Announced on Wednesday, the cancellations come as part of a major company restructure aimed at improving its growth and its finances — with some cost cutting having already been done via layoffs.

The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake was initially scheduled for launch on Jan. 21, 2021 when it was first announced in 2020. That date came and went, with Ubisoft announcing multiple delays before moving the game's development from its Mumbai and Pune studios to Montreal in 2022. Unfortunately, the delays continued even after the change in studio, and by 2024 Ubisoft was claiming Sands of Time would arrive in 2026.

Now there will be no release at all, with Ubisoft shutting down production on the game six years after it was announced. 

"While the project had real potential, we weren't able to reach the level of quality you deserve, and continuing would have required more time and investment than we could responsibly commit," read a statement posted to the official Prince of Persia X account on Wednesday. 

"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."

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Fans have reacted with disappointment, taking to social media to vent their frustration. Wednesday's announcement left many feeling bitter, as they'd been anticipating the Sands of Time remake since its announcement half a decade ago.

Ubisoft announces massive restructure

The Sands of Time's cancellation comes as part of a significant structural shakeup at Ubisoft. Revising its three-year roadmap, the company is refocusing on open-world and live service games, and plans to make "accelerated investments behind player-facing Generative AI."

A pivotal part of Ubisoft's restructure is its new operating model, which is focused on five specialised "Creative Houses." These new units within the company will each focus on a different game genre, and take care of a title's production and publication themselves. Ubisoft is also establishing two new internal organisations, the Creative Network and Core Services, which will provide production support to all five Houses.

"Each [Creative House] is built around a clear genre and brand focus, with full responsibility and financial ownership, led by dedicated leadership teams," said Ubisoft founder and CEO Yves Guillemot. "It is a radical move, relying on a more decentralised creative organisation with faster decision making and best-in-class cross functional core services supporting and serving each Creative House."

CH1 aka Vantage Studios will be dedicated to scaling Ubisoft's biggest franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. CH2 will focus on competitive and cooperative shooters such as The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. CH3 will be in charge of live games like For Honor, The Crew, and Skull & Bones. CH4 will take care of games that are narrative-driven or take place in fantasy worlds, including Anno, Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil, and yes, Prince of Persia. Finally, CH5 will work on casual and family-friendly brands Just Dance, Uno, and Hasbro.

However, not all of Ubisoft's games will get to move into one of these Houses as Sands of Time and five other titles have been cancelled — a "strategic decision to refocus its portfolio" after reviewing its content pipeline. Four of the cancelled titles had not yet been announced, three of which had been brand new IPs. According to Ubisoft, the six games were axed because they did not "meet the new enhanced quality as well as more selective portfolio prioritisation criteria." 

Guillemot stated that though Ubisoft's restructure will have a significant impact on its finances over the next two years, he expects it to come out the other side stronger. Unfortunately, not all its employees will be around to appreciate it. The company has conducted ongoing layoffs in an effort to reduce costs over the last few years, shrinking its headcount from almost 21,000 in 2022 to 17,097 by its earnings call last November.

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