In a move that’s left fans of acrobatic princes and time-rewinding daggers reeling, Ubisoft has cancelled the long-suffering Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.
Announced back in 2020 with a glossy reveal trailer that promised a faithful modernization of the 2003 PS2 classic, the project has been a rollercoaster of delays ever since.
Remember the excitement? The remake was slated for January 2021, but fan backlash over the “realistic” character models looking more like generic Ubisoft NPCs than the stylized originals pushed it to March.
Then… radio silence. Development shifted from Ubisoft Mumbai to Montreal, it went “indefinite,” and whispers of a 2026 release surfaced at Ubisoft Forward. Leaked footage in late 2025 showed progress, but it was clear the game had evolved far from its roots.
Fast-forward to January 2026: Ubisoft’s official Prince of Persia Twitter drops the hammer. “We’ve made the difficult decision to stop development on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. We know this is deeply disappointing,” they wrote. “The game had real potential, but we weren’t able to reach the level of quality [players] deserve.” Citing the need for “more time and investment than [they] could reasonably commit,” Ubisoft chose quality over a rushed release. Noble in theory, brutal in practice.
— Prince of Persia™ (@princeofpersia) January 21, 2026
This isn’t isolated drama. It’s part of Ubisoft’s “major company reset,” which axes six games total, closes two studios (Stockholm and another), delays seven others (including reports of the Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remake slipping to FY2027), and hints at more layoffs.
Ubisoft’s stock reportedly tanked over 30% on the news.
Ubisoft’s Graveyard of Cancellations and Eternal Delays
Ubisoft fans know this script all too well. Here’s a quick hit list of their recent (and not-so-recent) casualties:
- Ghost Recon Frontline (2022): A battle royale spin-off axed before launch.
- Splinter Cell VR (2022): Sam’s stealth sim for VR, quietly shelved alongside Frontline.
- The Division Heartland (2024): Free-to-play extraction shooter, cancelled amid shifting priorities.
- Three unannounced games (2023): Wiped in a sales slump cleanup.
- Skull and Bones: Delayed five years from 2018 to 2024, morphed from pirate RPG to live-service grinder. It… exists now, but at what cost?
And don’t get me started on Beyond Good & Evil 2, announced in 2008, still “in development” despite the bloodbath. Talk about zombie projects!
Ubisoft’s pivot to open-world and live-service (GaaS) titles means single-player remakes like PoP are low on the totem pole.
The franchise isn’t dead. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (2024) delivered Metroidvania magic, though its team was disbanded and a sequel nixed.
The Rogue Prince of Persia roguelite is live in Early Access. Ubisoft vows the brand “remains important,” teasing a reset focused on quality.
Dust off your original Sands of Time, it’s still a masterpiece. Maybe one day, a worthy remake (or reboot) will dagger-dance back. Until then, Ubisoft: rewind and try again?
