Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake Canceled in Ubisoft Shake-Up

After weeks of speculation following reported studio closures and rounds of layoffs, French video game publisher Ubisoft announced Wednesday it is launching a reorganization of the company that will see operations divided into five “Creative Houses,” each focused on a specific creative genre. As a result, six games in the works at Ubisoft, including the upcoming “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” remake, have been scrapped. The five decentralized houses part of the new model “will combine game development and go-to-market functions with a gamer-centric approach, and be fully responsible for brand development, content strategy as well as editorial direction;” “will be shaped by distinct creative ‘genres’ led by dedicated high-profile, incentivized teams with a unique set of expertise in those genres;” and “have full financial ownership and account for economic performance.” During a media call Wednesday, Ubisoft leadership would not confirm how many more layoffs (the Halifax and Stockholm studios have now been shuttered) will be coming as the 17,000-employee company is restructured, but noted additional details on work force reduction will be announced tied to the company’s upcoming quarterly earnings results Feb. 12. Per Ubisoft, the five new creative houses include the following, the first being Ubisoft’s new subsidiary, Vantage Studios, which began operations last year: Along with the “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” remake, Ubisoft has discontinued four unannounced games and one mobile title that “do not meet the new enhanced quality as well as more selective portfolio prioritization criteria at Group level.” Ubisoft says it will allocate additional development time to seven unnamed games in order to “ensure enhanced quality benchmarks are fully met and maximize long-term value creation,” including This an unannounced title initially planned to release in fiscal year 2026 that has now been delayed to fiscal year 2027. According to Ubisoft, four new IPs are currently in development, including the game “March of Giants,” which it recently required from Amazon, and the creative houses where those games will be allocated will be announced at a later date. As part of the restructuring, Ubisoft will return to a five-days-per-week in office policy for all teams, which will include an annual allowance of working-from-home days. Amid the news Wednesday, Ubisoft shared early results for its latest quarter, reporting €330 million in sales, which it says are “primarily driven by an overperformance linked to partnerships and reflecting a robust back-catalog.” “On the one hand, the AAA industry has become persistently more selective and competitive with rising development costs and greater challenges in creating brands,” Yves Guillemot, Founder and CEO of Ubisoft, said in a statement Wednesday. “On the other hand, exceptional AAA games, when successful, have more financial potential than ever. In this context, today we are announcing a major reset built to create the conditions for a return to sustainable growth over time. We are transforming Ubisoft’s operating model to produce exceptional quality games on the two core pillars of our strategy, Open World Adventures and GaaS-native experiences. At the center of this transformation are our Creative Houses, integrated business units now combining production and publishing and therefore unifying the gamer relationship. Each one is built around a clear genre and brand focus, with full responsibility and financial ownership, led by dedicated leadership teams. It is a radical move, relying on a more decentralized creative organization with faster decision making and best in-class cross functional core services supporting and serving each Creative House.” Guillemot’s statement continues: “To put the Creative Houses in the best conditions to succeed, we decided to refocus our portfolio with a meaningfully revised 3-year roadmap and accelerate our cost reductions initiatives to rightsize the organization. We will discontinue several projects currently in development and provide additional time to certain games, to ensure enhanced quality and maximize long term value. We will also selectively close several studios and continue restructurings throughout the Group. While these decisions are difficult, they are necessary for us to build a more focused, efficient and sustainable organization over the long term. Taken together, these measures mark a decisive turning point for Ubisoft and reflect our determination to confront challenges head-on to reshape the Group for the long term. The portfolio refocus will have a significant impact on the Group’s short term financial trajectory, particularly in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, but this reset will strengthen the Group and enable it to renew with sustainable growth and robust cash generation. Ubisoft is entering a new phase – one designed to reclaim creative leadership and build value for players and stakeholders over the long term.”