Ubisoft has announced that it has scrapped the long-delayed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake and cancelled five other projects as the publisher undergoes a significant overhaul.
The French publishing also revealed that seven games have been delayed and two of its studios will be closed, and warned of further layoffs for its other teams. Three of the scrapped games are new IPs, with another being a mobile game; Ubisoft now intends to focus its efforts on open-world titles and live-service products.
While the names of the delayed seven titles have not been announced yet, it is heavily speculated that one of them is the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Remake, which was heavily rumoured to be launching by March 31, 2026. This will now launch at some pint in the coming fiscal year, which puts it out before the end of March next year.
In regards to the studios that will be shuttered, both Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Halifax are closing their doors as a result of these changes, while “restructuring” are set to take place at Ubisoft’s Abu Dhabi office, RedLynx, and Massive Entertainment.
Ubisoft has revealed that development efforts are now being split into five ‘Creative Houses’ operating as independent businesses. One of these is Vantage Studios, which is overseeing the publisher’s three biggest IPs — Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Creative House 2 meanwhile will oversee The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell, Creative House 3 is focussed on live-service offerings like Skull & Bones and For Honor, and Creative House 4 is putting its efforts into narrative and fantasy-oriented efforts including Might & Magic, Rayman, Prince of Persia, and Beyond Good & Evil.
Creative House 5 will look after family and casual-oriented franchises including Just Dance, Miner Tycoon, Hungry Shark, and Uno.
[Source – IGN]