At the start of this month, it was revealed the development of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake had been moved away from Ubisoft Pune and handed to Ubisoft Montreal, but what wasn’t mentioned at the time was how close the game came to being completely canceled. This was due to issues with the game’s engine, lack of support from Ubisoft, and how the game faltered at another studio too.
The fate of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake was revealed back in September 2020 and was immediately criticized for its graphical style. At the time, Ubisoft Pune said this was a stylistic choice but it seems like that wasn’t quite true. As first reported by 0451 Games, the team had been told they would be using a version of Ubisoft’s Anvil Engine used by Assassin’s Creed Origins and its somewhat stocky protagonist Bayek. The animations of the lean prince had to be fitted over this model, something that produced the odd animations seen in the game’s trailer.
There were plenty of other issues too. Ubisoft Pune and Mumbai’s former head Jean-Philippe Pieuchot pushed for the development of the game as the studios’ first AAA project despite them not really being ready for a project of this scale. The only information the teams received from Ubisoft was a mere 10-page game design document for the original game, leaving them to figure out how to recreate the assets from the original game in an unfamiliar engine. Ubisoft seemed to be reluctant to support the studios and send help in any form.
The teams received the news in August that they would no longer be developing the game. It was then sent to a UK studio called Electric Square but they struggled with the game too. According to The Gamer, the game came incredibly close to being canceled altogether in December. With its fate in the balance, Ubisoft’s management team eventually made the decision in January to transfer the game to Ubisoft Montreal to see if it can be salvaged. Now that the news is official, it seems like Ubisoft Montreal may have been able to make some promising progress in the four months that followed, but only time will tell.
In other news, Call of Duty: Vanguard has a multiplayer free access week beginning today and running until May 24. Elsewhere, Doctor Strange 2 apparently ripped off one of its more distinct fight sequences from an upcoming indie game called Sword of Symphony.
