The focus is now on open world and live service games

Given its lengthy, troubled development period, it will probably not come as any surprise to you that Ubisoft have announced today that their Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake has been cancelled. This comes as part of a broader restructure at the company, which will apparently focus on what they call five "specialised creative houses" to "reclaim creative leadership and restore sustainable growth."

Alongside the Prince of Persia remake, Ubisoft have also cancelled development on five other games, three of them apparently being completely new, and one being a mobile title. Seven other games they have in the works have been internally delayed as well. Details about these games are next to none, but the general idea behind this move is that Ubisoft want to focus on open world and live service games.

It also appears that more layoffs may be in Ubisoft’s future too. We already knew that their Halifax studio is being shuttered, but according to VGC, the company is also considering the sale of other assets. On top of this, CFO Frederick Duguet said, "There are some people who will be refocused on other big projects, and some may leave the company." An exact figure wasn’t specified in terms of staff members being moved or laid off.

In terms of these five new "creative houses," one of them is Vantage Studios, the subsidiary partially owned by Tencent, which will focus on Ubisoft’s tentpole series like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Others will handle series like Splinter Cell, For Honor, Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil (which suggests it’s somehow still in development), Just Dance, and even Prince of Persia, so clearly Ubisoft still intends to do something with the series.

The official Prince of Persia Twitter account shared a statement with this to say of the cancellation: "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. And, we didn’t want to release something that fell short of what The Sands of Time represents. 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. Thank you for your passion, patience, and love for Prince of Persia."

Solidarity with all those affected by the restructuring.