Prince of Persia Remake Canceled After Six-Year Wait, Developers Acknowledge Fans’ Disappointment

With the remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time leading a list of six canceled projects at Ubisoft, the studio behind the game has released a statement addressing the disappointment of fans.

“We want to share this with you directly,” the post on X/Twitter starts. “We’ve made the tough choice to halt development on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. We understand how disappointing this is. The game holds significant value for both fans and the teams involved in its creation.

“While the project had great potential, we couldn’t achieve the level of quality you deserve, and moving forward would have required more time and resources than we could responsibly allocate. We didn’t want to deliver something that didn’t live up to the legacy of The Sands of Time.

“Prince of Persia as a franchise and its legacy are still very important to us, and this decision doesn’t mean we’re stepping away from the series,” the statement concludes. “Thank you for your passion, patience, and love for Prince of Persia.”

Ubisoft explained in a press release that this remake, along with five other games, was canceled because they did not meet the new quality standards the company has established as part of a significant restructuring that will reshape its operations and game lineup.

As part of this overhaul, Ubisoft will create five “Creative Houses” dedicated to managing specific genres and franchises. Prince of Persia will be part of Creative House 4, which will focus on “immersive fantasy worlds and narrative-driven universes,” alongside other series like Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil, Might & Magic, and Anno.

The Sands of Time remake was originally slated for a 2026 release. Announced in 2020 and initially set for 2021, the game faced immediate criticism for its graphics, experienced significant delays, and underwent an internal reboot in 2023 amid staff changes. As recently as last summer, the remake team stated they were “still deep in the game – exploring, building, and ensuring the sands move with purpose,” which, even then, didn’t suggest substantial progress for a project five years in the making.