- The remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time went from rumors of immediate release to being cancelled by Ubisoft.
- The decision is part of a major internal restructuring with six games canceled and seven postponed.
- Prince of Persia is part of a “Creative House” alongside other sagas, but the remake does not meet the new quality standards.
- The cancellation culminates a cycle of delays, studio changes and leaks that have marked the development of the project.
For years the remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time It has been one of the most talked-about and, at the same time, most elusive projects in Ubisoft's catalog. Between announcements, prolonged silences, and constant changes of direction, the return of the classic action-platformer became something of a modern legend within the industry.
In recent months, the situation has taken a radical turn: from the strong possibility of a immediate surprise launchThe game has now been officially cancelled. This decision not only affects fans of the series, who have a large following in Europe and Spain, but also illustrates the extent to which Ubisoft is willing to sacrifice flagship projects to adapt to a much more demanding market.
From Shadow Drop rumors to nothing
The recent history of remakes has been a real rollercoaster. On the one hand, clues kept appearing which pointed to a very imminent release. The most talked-about development was the update to the game's official website, where users detected a file with a rather straightforward name: "game-release-tomorrow.png", something like “game exit tomorrow”.
That simple PNG became the center of speculationThe image was added around January 14th and located the following day, leading a large part of the community to pinpoint a specific date for the supposed surprise release: Friday, January 16th. This interpretation was reinforced by internal documents that, according to leaks, indicated that same day as the planned release window.
In addition to these movements, there was another important piece of information: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake had already received its age rating from the ESRB systemIt has a T (Teen) rating, the same as the original title. A game reaching this stage usually indicates that development is quite advanced and that its release shouldn't be too far off. There.
The community even speculated that Ubisoft would opt for a shadow drop without a traditional promotional campaignThis is something other companies have successfully tested in recent years. Examples like Hi-Fi Rush or remasters of classics like Oblivion have shown that a surprise release can work very well if the product arrives in good condition and with a fanbase ready to respond.
Specialized networks and forums in Spain and the rest of Europe followed every lead in detail, but The appointed day passed without a trace of the gameThe supposed imminent launch never materialized, and some of the accounts that had spread the information, such as profiles dedicated to the franchise on X (formerly Twitter), ended up being suspended, further fueling the sense of chaos and misinformation surrounding the project.
A development full of setbacks and studio changes
Beyond the latest rumors, the remake of The Sands of Time It had been plagued with problems since practically its unveiling. Originally announced in 2020 with the intention of launching in early 2021, It caused a series of delays: first it was postponed for a few months, then it was postponed indefinitely.
During that time, internal changes took place. The development initially went through the Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai studios, tasked with updating one of the most beloved titles in the company's catalog. However, the project failed to fully convince, and Ubisoft opted to reassign them, handing the main responsibility for the remake to Ubisoft Montreal, the most important study within the group's global structure and with extensive experience in large franchises.
In that process, the game may even have restartedAccording to various leaks, there was talk of a profound change in approach, an overhaul of the art style, gameplay adjustments, and even the replacement of the lead actor. All this while official communication was reduced to a minimum, fueling the perception that the remake was stalled.
The latest information prior to the cancellation indicated that a launch scheduled for early 2026The age rating, the game's presence in internal catalogs, and the updates on its official website reinforced that idea. For many European players, especially those who discovered the saga during the generation of PlayStation 2 and PC, it was an ideal opportunity to revisit an adventure that marked an era.
However, production problems and doubts about the project's fit within the new corporate strategy ultimately outweighed nostalgia. What on paper should have been a relatively safe bet—the return of a well-established classic—became a symbol of the difficulty of adapting old hits to the current dynamics of the AAA market.
Ubisoft's restructuring: six cancellations and seven delays
The turning point came with the presentation of Ubisoft's financial results at the beginning of the year. In that context, the French company confirmed a comprehensive restructuring plan which includes cutbacks, deep organizational changes and a complete overhaul of its game portfolio.
As part of that process, Ubisoft announced the cancellation of six projects in developmentAmong them, notably, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time RemakeAlong with the Prince game, three new intellectual properties that had not yet been announced to the public have been discarded, a mobile title and a sixth project whose identity has not been revealed.
The official explanation is that these titles They did not meet the new quality standards Nor did they fit the "more selective prioritization" criteria that the company wants to apply from now on. In parallel, Ubisoft has decided delay seven more gamesgranting them more development time with the intention of improving their final product. Among them is an unannounced title that, according to various sources, could be the rumored remake of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, now postponed to fiscal year 2027.
This strategic “reset” is designed to address an increasingly expensive and competitive AAA marketAccording to the company itself, budgets have skyrocketed, mistakes are more costly, and the pressure to maintain a steady stream of successes forces them to be more selective about which projects they invest time and resources in.
In financial terms, Ubisoft assumes an immediate impactThe company mentions asset write-downs of hundreds of millions of euros and significant operating losses in the short term. However, management argues that this is a necessary price to stabilize the business and focus its efforts on games with greater return potential, both in traditional sales and in games-as-a-service formats.
The “Creative Houses” and the Prince of Persia location
One of the most striking changes of the new stage is the introduction of the five “Creative Houses” (Creative Houses). These are large internal divisions to which Ubisoft grants editorial, creative and financial autonomy, grouping together sagas and projects with similar profiles in each one.
In this new landscape, franchises like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry or Rainbow Six They are integrated into a company dedicated to turning them into recurring, multi-million dollar brands, with regular releases and a strong presence in the global market. Another company specializes in competitive and cooperative shooters like The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell, while a third focuses on long-running "live" experiences, such as For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, and Brawlhalla.
The fourth Creative House focuses on immersive and narrative fantasy worldsAnd this is where the Prince of Persia brand fits in, alongside sagas like Anno, Rayman, Might & Magic, and Beyond Good & Evil. On paper, this should guarantee a specific space for more adventurous and story-driven projects, although the remake makes it clear that belonging to a long-established franchise isn't enough to get the green light.
The fifth and final house groups more casual and family-oriented proposalsFrom Just Dance to various mobile licenses and accessible games aimed at a broad audience, all these divisions rely on a network of internal studios—the so-called Creative Network—and a common set of technical services (Core Services) that encompass graphics engines, servers, and even tools for Artificial Intelligence generative.
In theory, this model seeks to streamline decision-making and reduce bureaucracyThis brings investment decisions closer to the teams most involved in actual development. But in practice, it also means that brands like Prince of Persia face stricter scrutiny: if a project doesn't fit the roadmap or meet the required standards, it can be dropped even if it has a strong nostalgic component.
Ubisoft accompanies this reorganization with cost reduction measuresThese measures include the closure of some studios—including centers dedicated to mobile development—restructuring of established teams, and a near-complete return to in-person work. All of this is part of a plan that aims to cut hundreds of millions of euros in fixed costs over the coming years.
With this context in mind, the cancellation of the Prince of Persia remake can be understood as one more piece of a much larger changeNot so much an isolated case, but the most visible example of how the company is redefining which projects deserve to move forward and which do not.
The result for players, especially in territories like Spain and the rest of Europe where Prince of Persia left an important markIt's bittersweet: the brand lives on within the new structure, as demonstrated by the recent reception of The Lost Crown, but the long-awaited return of The Sands of Time in the form of a remake has been left behind. After years of rumors, leaks, and false hopes of a Shadow Drop, the Prince has once again disappeared from the release schedule, trapped this time not in a time loop, but in Ubisoft's own shifting priorities.
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