Ubisoft Cancels 6 Projects Including Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake, Closes 2 Studios and Confirms Further Layoffs in Major Company Restructure
Ubisoft has announced a sweeping company restructure that will result in the cancelation of six games including its Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, and a delay to a further seven titles. Two Ubisoft studios will be closed completely as a result of the changes, while others are subject to further layoffs.
Of the half dozen games that have been fully scrapped, Ubisoft is only publicly naming one today — its long-awaited Sands of Time remake that was rebooted once already. Three of the canceled games were new IPs, while one was a mobile game. Ubisoft’s core focus going forward, the company has said, will be on open-world games and live-services.
No specific detail has been given of the seven titles that Ubisoft has delayed, either, though this number does include the unannounced game once set for launch before March 31 that is widely expected to be the company’s Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remaster. This will now launch in the coming financial year — so before March 31, 2027.
Ubisoft Stockholm will fully close as a result of the changes, having previously collaborated on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, alongside mobile studio Ubisoft Halifax (news of which first broke last week). “Restructurings” have also taken place at Ubisoft offices in Abu Dhabi, at Trials studio RedLynx and at Massive, home to The Division. In addition, all teams will be required to return to in-office working five days a week, albeit with an annual allowance of remote-working days.
“We went through a thorough review of projects across December [and] January, with the current market evolution in mind — which is consistently more selective,” Ubisoft’s chief financial officer Frederick Duguet told IGN today. “You’ve seen the last quarter showing a never-before-seen level of competition. Competition and selection is here to stay.
“When you are coming in number one, number two, with great content quality in a given segment, then you can have a very strong reward in terms of player reception and financial performance. That’s what really informed our pipeline review. We selected what would be the best projects to put the Creative Houses in the best position to succeed in that market.”
In a sign of how vast an impact Ubisoft expects this restructure to have, as well as how badly it feels it is needed, the company has scrapped its previous guidance for the full financial year and now expects net bookings of around €1.5 billion ($1.75 billion), down by €330 million ($386 million).
Via a statement shared with IGN, Ubisoft said this huge reduction reflected changes to the company’s upcoming release pipeline following the implementation of its updated development roadmap, and the decision to “postpone negations on certain partnerships” in the context of its new operating model.
“Competition is here to stay…”“
Indeed, the shakeup comes as Ubisoft finally lays out how its global development might is to be split into five “Creative Houses” that will operate as independent business units — the first of which was detailed last year. The previously-established Vantage Studios now encompasses the development of Ubisoft’s three biggest brands (Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six) and soon the remaining divisions will take on themed groups that cover the company’s remaining franchises.
Creative House 2 will be dedicated to shooters, and look after The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. Creative House 3 will focus on live experiences, including For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, Brawlhalla, and Skull & Bones.
Creative House 4 will feature narrative driven and fantasy-orientated series including Anno, Might & Magic, Rayman, Prince of Persia, and Beyond Good & Evil (yes, seemingly Beyond Good & Evil 2 still lives). Finally, Creative House 5 will center on family and casual gaming, including Just Dance, Uno, Hasbro, Idle Miner Tycoon, Ketchapp, Hungry Shark, and Invincible: Guarding the Globe.
Prince of Persia: The Complete Playlist
Here’s the entire Prince of Persia gameography, from Mechner/Broderbund’s original to Ubisoft’s many sequels. Log in to mark your play and completion status.
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Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
