You have to hand it to Ubisoft. After last year, when it released the somewhat divisive but still successful Assassin’s Creed Shadows, things seemed to be going its way. Granted, it didn’t have any other major blockbuster releases – unless you count Anno 117: Pax Romana, which was a success – but that in itself was a virtue. Even as it seemingly refused to acknowledge the Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag remake rumors, tell us really anything about The Division 3, or escape any further lay-offs, 2026 was looking to be its year. Heck, it started by releasing free updates for three classic Far Cry games, adding 60 FPS support on current-gen consoles.
And they all went live on the same day that the company decided to kill Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.
Remember rumors about how it would launch in mid-January? Oh, how we waited for weeks regarding an announcement, maybe a reveal at The Game Awards or even, of all places, the New Game+ Showcase. But nothing. Okay, maybe a shadow drop at some point? Surely the publisher would have to do something with the remake, especially when it officially planned the release for early 2026. Me and my big mouth, I guess. It was allegedly pushed to late March, according to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, before news of its cancellation emerged today.
On Twitter, the development team at Ubisoft Montreal acknowledged the project’s cancellation and how it was “deeply disappointing” for fans. However, it seems that despite its best effort and having 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 possibly commit.” Since it didn’t want to release something that fell short of what the original represented, Ubisoft Montreal decided to stop development (though there’s the usual spiel about this “doesn’t mean we’re stepping away from the franchise” so on and so forth).
What this actually reads like, especially in the wake of Ubisoft’s other announcements – because oh boy are there others – is that the publisher either wasn’t satisfied with the final result or didn’t believe it would sell well. Over five years since its initial announcement, which was met with a mostly negative response before the Montreal studio took over in 2024 and effectively started from scratch, it was probably in a state that required more time than it was prepared to give. Better to allocate the team elsewhere or have it focus on something else, and hope no one cares (which is going to be very ironic soon, just wait).
But on the surface, the only thing you can really think is: What an utter clown show for such a beloved title and franchise.
Unfortunately, that’s not all. To summarize: Four other unannounced titles, including three new IPs and a mobile game, were also cancelled. Ubisoft confirmed the closure of its Halifax and Stockholm studios alongside restructuring at others, including Massive. It’s looking to reduce costs by another €200 million in the next fiscal year (which might as well be its way of saying that more layoffs are on the way). Funnily enough, in the previous quarter, the company was reported as “overperforming,” but, apparently, that’s not enough.
To top it all off, it’s shifting to a new operational model with five Creative Houses, which will have “full financial ownership and account for economic performance.”
Vantage Studios, run by Charlie Guillemot (the CEO’s son), is one, handling the “established franchises” like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six, to turn them into “annual billionaire brands.” It’s clearly the Creative House meant to be leading the charge, though I suspect that’s less due to nepotism and more because Tencent has invested some $1.25 billion in its future. But does this mean it wants each IP to generate $1 billion yearly, especially when they required years to reach the same? Unclear. Also, you would think (if you expected better from the company) that the goal would be to make great games instead of aiming for “billionaire status.” Thankfully, it’s Ubisoft, so we know not to expect better, and that earning the most revenue will be its highest priority.
As are the other Creative Houses. Trying to encompass every single brand of gaming – fantasy, narrative-heavy, live-service, competitive shooters, co-op shooters, casual games, etc. – is certainly a goal. But Anno and Might and Magic under the same roof as Rayman, Prince of Persia, and Beyond Good and Evil? For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, Skull and Bones and Brawlhalla – each game having next to nothing in common with the others save for being live service? Splinter Cell clubbed in with The Division and Ghost Recon under competitive and co-op shooters?
It’s unclear whether this means established studios will be reorganized under these houses. Insider Gaming also reports that Beyond Good and Evil 2, announced in 2008, is still in development. Not the original vision, whatever it happened to be – we’re talking about the one revealed much more recently, which has actually been in development for eight to nine years. How did that possibly survive the purge, but The Sands of Time Remake didn’t? Why, 18 years later and with Michel Ancel, the original creator, long gone, is it still bothering? Just…why?
And by the way, that “full financial ownership and account for economic performance” part doesn’t really sound like leadership will have any control over the running of their respective markets. It feels more like Ubisoft is spinning them off to invite more outside investment, similar to Vantage Studios. I could be wrong, but at this point, I wouldn’t put it past them.
But hey, good news everyone. Ubisoft is using this opportunity to allocate more development time to seven other games. The bad news is that the unannounced game set to release this quarter has been delayed to next fiscal year, and yes, that was Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Remake. How close was it to really releasing? Apparently, it was going gold in the first week of February and was planned to launch on March 19th, according to Insider Gaming.
What forced Ubisoft to delay it an entire year? Too many bugs? The rumored removal of the modern-day sections? We may never know, but it’s still disappointing news, especially when it was apparently at the finish line.
And really, what more can you say about the rest of this mess? As much as Ubisoft wants to prop this up as some kind of self-righting of the organization, it feels like a fancier way to justify laying off more employees and cancelling projects while buying time for the games that it hopes will turn things around. But where is the next Far Cry? What about Splinter Cell Remake, which we’ve yet to see at all in years (never mind a new game in the franchise)? Even The Division 3, announced more recently, has had no updates, and its executive producer has left to work at Battlefield Studios.
Maybe all of this is the main reason why Ubisoft is making these changes, but the reasons it’s in this mess – from trend chasing and green lighting tons of projects that wouldn’t go anywhere (don’t think I’ve forgotten about Hyper Scape) to lack of oversight – won’t magically mend on their own. It can flail about until then and maybe hope for the best because honestly, short of a miracle, what does it possibly have left?
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