Ubisoft Cancels Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake as Delays and Uncertainty Shake the Publisher

Multiple high-profile projects at Ubisoft are being shifted, paused, or canceled, causing new problems and raising concerns about the company's long-term goals and direction. Recent internal changes, cancellations, and delays have prompted people in the industry to talk not just about when games will come out, but also about which kinds of games are now considered worth finishing.

There is one project that stands out from the rest, not because it was late, but because it no longer exists. The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, which was supposed to come out in 2020 but didn't until 2018, has been completely pulled. The remake was reset, the company changed, and it began all over again over the years. At one point, it was said to be very close to coming out, with January 16 mentioned as a possible date. The project is over now, after almost 8 years of work.

To understand why that's so important, let's first look at what did make it through Another big Ubisoft project, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remake, has been pushed back. Before, it was only going to be available digitally around March 19. Now, it will come out in fiscal year 27 instead of fiscal year 26. Not in the same way that calendar years do, but that does sound exciting.

In this case, there might be a short wait of a few weeks. In reality, it's probably more like six months, ending in late summer or early fall.

That release date makes sense; it gives the game time to breathe between other big games and keeps it away from GTA. The main point is that Black Flag has been pushed back, but it's not dead. It's clear that Ubisoft still believes in it. That idea is also evident in the format. Like many other remakes, this one was only available digitally. Ubisoft still sells physical discs, but more and more of its games require downloads to work. That's one foot out the door.

When that trend happens enough times, it's clear what to do next: digital-only becomes the standard. We might prefer physical copies, even if they need to be downloaded, because you can give, sell, or share them. When you buy something digitally, it stays in your account forever. You have choices. Even so, this delay sounds more like a technical issue than an existential one. Stability, bugs, and finish. There's no sign that the project is in danger.

Prince of Persia is not like that at all. January was the first plan. It then fell. After that, it fell again. September. December. Even more cleaning. And now it's just gone. Eight years of progress. And two studios. A whole new start. Stopped at the finish line. Sunk costs do matter sometimes, but this choice brings up some tough questions. How bad could it have been if the game hadn't been out for weeks or months? Another six months? A year? What changed so drastically that it made more sense to cancel than to ship it?

When you look at what Ubisoft is still supporting, that question gets even harder to answer. Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still going. Some people have been talking about games online for longer than the game has been around. It has been turned back on. It costs money to do.

Still, it lives on. Prince of Persia didn't do it. There is only one real reason that fits: lack of faith. It's clear that Ubisoft still thinks Assassin's Creed is important. Over time, it can be turned into a profitable business, expanded, and funded. The Prince of Persia can't.

If Sands of Time had gone live, it would have sold something and then stopped

There is no long tail, no store hooks, and no steady cash flow. That's what's really sad. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was already having a hard time selling, not because the game itself was bad, but because it was hard to market. There wasn't much noise when a well-known IP was launched, and it didn't do well on paper. Sands of Time is no longer available, and the series may end there.

People used to love Prince of Persia more than any other Ubisoft series. From now on, it looks like a debt, not an asset. The IP probably won't come back any time soon unless it is sold or really changed in a big way. That seems to be the deciding factor: Ubisoft doesn't see it as a long-term tool that can make money.

The trend is clear when you look at what stays in the company. The Division. Rainbow Six Siege. Play Assassin's Creed. Live service games are one-time purchases that keep people interested for a long time. Prince of Persia doesn't belong there.

To put it in, you would have to redesign it from the ground up, which would make it less like Prince of Persia. It hurts more than a delay ever could because of this. Making it clear what kinds of games are okay is important. It also makes it harder to understand how Beyond Good and Evil 2 can keep going. That wasn't a huge hit with the public; it was a cult favorite.

There is no end date for that project, but the Sands of Time are erased when it's done. Is it just lost cost? Why the politics within? A pitch for making money that hasn't been shown yet? We don't know those answers. We do know that Prince of Persia did not fail in terms of story. On paper, it was a financial failure before anyone even touched it. Everyone who is paying attention should be scared about that.