Ubisoft Says Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake Needed 'More Time and Investment Than We Could Responsibly Commit,' 5 Years After it Was First Due to Launch

Ubisoft has said that completing its now-canceled Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake would have "required more time and investment than we could responsibly commit," after more than half a decade of development.
Yesterday, Ubisoft shocked fans by announcing it had scrapped the long-awaited remake completely as part of a major business reshuffle, nearly six years after the project was first announced, and five years to the day after it was initially set to launch — on January 21, 2021.
Ubisoft has never fully explained why the remake has had such a tortured development — first at the company's Mumbai and Pune studios, then at Ubisoft Montreal since the project was rebooted in 2022. What has been happening behind the scenes since then, and why has the game been scrapped now, after so long trying to get it right?
A statement that's now been shared via the official Prince of Persia social media account holds few answers. Here it is in full:
"To the Prince of Persia community, we wanted to share this with you directly," reads a statement attributed to Ubisoft's Prince of Persia team.
"We've made the difficult decision to stop development on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. We know this is deeply disappointing. The game carries enormous meaning for fans and for the teams who worked on it.
"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."
Exactly what the future has in store for Prince of Persia now is uncertain. Lackluster sales of 2024's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown meant a planned sequel to that game was also scrapped, and staff reorganized elsewhere within the company. The franchise's most recent launch was 2025's The Rogue Prince of Persia — made externally by Dead Cells co-developer Evil Empire.
While many of the details around Ubisoft's business reshuffle remain to be seen, the company did at least name the Prince of Persia franchise as part of its new fourth "Creative House" division yesterday, suggesting it was indeed still an ongoing concern.
For the fans waiting half a decade to play the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake, however, this is likely of little comfort.
"Pretty sad we'll never get this," wrote Ubisoft fan SynthPotato, "people were convinced its on the edge of releasing." "Saw this coming a mile away unfortunately," added another fan, 8biteric. "Please tell me you’re going to reverse time and take back this post and make an announcement that the game is done and will release later this year," suggested TheChrisLambert, hopefully.
Five other games were canceled yesterday as part of Ubisoft's reshuffle, while a further seven titles have been delayed — including the company's similarly long-awaited Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social














