You better believe we’ve learned a thing or two about praising Ubisoft. We could look past the shameless shelving of XDefiant, but this is taking it a step too far. The developer responsible for Prince of Persia, Assassin’s Creed, and countless others has undergone a major upheaval overnight, wiping out employees, studios, and games.
Goodbye, Prince of Persia
— Prince of Persia™ (@princeofpersia) January 21, 2026
Did Ubisoft forget that it… made the original game?
That’s according to VGC, which had a front-row seat to witness the destruction during a virtual media briefing. It spoke of an ‘organisational restructuring’ at the company meant to “reclaim its creative leadership”. That means six games cancelled, seven delayed, and two studios shuttered. Kaput. Poof. Burned to ashes.
At the top of the cancelled lists sits the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, which has reportedly neared release for months now. As recently as May 2025, Ubisoft’s comments during an earnings call hinted at an early 2026 release, corroborated by industry insiders. That’s no longer the case, as Prince of Persia has been entirely scrapped, alongside a mobile game and four other unannounced titles — four of which were original IPs.
It’s been a long journey for the Prince of Persia remake. Initially announced in 2020 before being entirely scrapped a year later, traded off to another studio, and essentially told to start again from the ground up. After the title was recently rated by the ESRB, a release seemed imminent. Unfortunately, Ubisoft reckons the title doesn’t meet its new “enhanced” quality expectations.
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To contend with this newfound appreciation of game development, Ubisoft delayed seven other games to ensure they’re up to par by the time a release rolls ’round. The company didn’t mention what those might be, but did point out that one was previously set to be released before April 2026, and will now slip into 2027. Other than the Prince of Persia remake, the only other rumoured release was the Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remake. Too bad.
Unfortunately, we don’t have high hopes for this ‘new’ Ubisoft nor its quality standards. When it isn’t trying to sell itself off to the highest bidder, it’s attempting to bring costs down by roughly €200 million over the next two years. One way it’ll do that is by closing down the Halifax and Stockholm studios and potentially selling off other “assets”. Whatever that means.
Finally, Ubisoft outlined its new organisational model, which will see it split into five “creative houses”, each tasked with handling something different. We already knew about one of those — Vantage Studios, which has been given the keys to oversee its flagship titles, Rainbow Six, Assassin’s Creed, and Far Cry.
