Ubisoft Montreal has provided an update on the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake. The developer says the remake is in its “conception phase” and “players should not expect to hear more about the game this year.” Existing pre-orders for the game will be cancelled and refunded.
The original Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was developed by Ubisoft Montreal. It was released back in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, GameCube, original Xbox, and Windows computers.
The remake was announced in 2020. Then in 2021, it was delayed ‘to a later date,’ with no specific release window. Last year, we learned that Ubisoft Montreal took over its development from Ubisoft Pune.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake won’t be at the upcoming Ubisoft Forward, but fear not: it's very much alive.
Get an update on the remake through this Q&A with our producer and game director from Ubisoft Montréal: https://t.co/FS7ofoZNmt pic.twitter.com/DAVmsD6FTA
— Prince of Persia™ (@princeofpersia) May 24, 2023
“Ubisoft Montreal is the birthplace of the original Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and, well, that’s a big deal,” said producer Jean-Francois Naud.
“That’s a big deal for everyone in Montreal, I will be honest. And there’s a bit of pride to be able to take a second look at the game and identify the new tech we can showcase the Prince’s journey with, and bring the Montreal expertise that we’ve developed — on storytelling, on gameplay, on art — and leveraging the knowledge we have built since the original Sands of Time came out. It’s a pretty exciting time.”
Ubisoft has had a tough year. More than 700 staff members left or were fired. One game has been delayed six times and three were cancelled.
The Prince of Persia remake is lucky that it still has legs to stand on. Ubisoft has been shoring up its major, reliable franchises in the face of its financial struggles. Rainbox Six Siege and Assassin’s Creed (which will soon have 800 new team members) are two examples. By contrast, the Prince of Persia remake, however fan-pleasing, is practically experimental.
Source: Ubisoft (1) (2)
