Prince of Persia Creator Sympathizes With Team Behind Cancelled The Sands of Time Remake

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Following Ubisoft’s cancellation of the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, Jordan Mechner, the original creator of Prince of Persia, has shared his thoughts. In a recent blog post, Mechner expressed his disappointment, stating he had hoped to begin the year by celebrating Sands of Time. He explained that Ubisoft’s recent changes led to the unfortunate news for fans.

He also explained that having a long-term project cancelled can be incredibly difficult. This is especially tough for newer team members who’ve dedicated years to a game that will never be released, which can create a significant problem when looking for future jobs.

I feel terrible for the development team in Montreal; it must be incredibly disheartening to have a project cancelled. It’s a tough reality of the game industry that people outside of it don’t usually understand, but developers know all too well.”

Cancelling a project right before its release can be especially hard on newer team members who haven’t had many games launch before. It’s incredibly difficult to realize that four years of dedicated work – something they were proud of and excited to share – will never be seen by the public. While words like ‘loss’ and ‘grief’ might seem strong, artists invest a lot of themselves into their creations. The long nights and weekends spent working, and the sacrifices made along the way, feel even more painful when the finished project is ultimately cancelled.

Jordan Mechner made a significant impact on the gaming world with two iconic titles: the 1984 martial arts game Karateka and Prince of Persia in 1989. While he created these beloved games, his last direct involvement with the Prince of Persia series was as a designer on the 2003 release, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

In January, Ubisoft decided to cancel The Sands of Time Remake as part of a larger restructuring effort. The company explained this move as a way to refocus on creative direction and ensure long-term growth. Along with this game, four other projects were also cancelled, including three entirely new game ideas that hadn’t been revealed yet.

Ubisoft is reorganizing its development teams into five “Creative Houses.” Each house will focus on specific game franchises, types of games, and platforms. For example, Vantage Studios (Creative House 1) will lead development on popular franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Creative House 3 will concentrate on ongoing live-service games, including Brawlhalla, For Honor, and The Crew. Meanwhile, Creative House 5 will create family-friendly and casual games such as Just Dance, Uno, and Idle Miner Tycoon.

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2026-02-10 18:41