Report: Disbanded Ubisoft Prince of Persia devs move to 3 new games, including a remake for a beloved platformer

Report: Disbanded Ubisoft Prince of Persia devs move to 3 new games, including a remake for a beloved platformer

What you need to know

  • According to a new report, the developers responsible for making this year’s acclaimed Metroidvania platformer Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have been moved to three new games by Ubisoft.
  • The news comes a day after another report said Ubisoft broke the team up and turned down a sequel to The Lost Crown, which the publisher later confirmed in a statement.
  • Reportedly, most of the team now works on Beyond Good and Evil 2, with a dozen devs contributing to the next Ghost Recon game and another 12 joining a group at Ubisoft Milan making a Rayman remake.
  • A remake or reboot of Rayman would be the first new mainline game in the platformer series since 2013’s Rayman Legends, though the project is apparently unpopular internally (as is Beyond Good and Evil 2, which is said to be in development hell).

As a passionate gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say I find myself both elated and apprehensive upon hearing the latest news from Ubisoft. On one hand, the prospect of a new Rayman game is enough to send shivers of excitement down any veteran platformer fan’s spine – it has been far too long since we last saw our limbless hero leap into action!


Based on recent updates, the developers who crafted the critically acclaimed 2D Metroidvania platformer Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have been reassigned to work on three distinct projects. This revelation follows closely on the heels of another report suggesting that Ubisoft disbanded this particular team, and that a sequel for The Lost Crown was scrapped. Ubisoft has since verified these claims in a statement to Eurogamer.

According to Insider Gaming’s report, the primary team behind Assassin’s Creed: The Lost Crown has been moved to work on Beyond Good and Evil 2, a sequel to the 2003 action game that was revived in 2017 but has since gone quiet. Approximately a dozen developers have been assigned to Ubisoft’s next Ghost Recon project, known as Project Over, while another group of around a dozen has joined the team creating Project Steambot, which Insider Gaming suggests is a remake of Rayman being developed by Ubisoft Milan.

The well-known and engaging adventure platformer series called Rayman started with the initial game’s release in 1995. However, there hasn’t been a new main entry since Rayman Legends came out in 2013, which was 11 years ago. This report implies that Ubisoft might be returning to this franchise by creating a remake or reboot, though no further specifics were given.

Report: Disbanded Ubisoft Prince of Persia devs move to 3 new games, including a remake for a beloved platformer

The prospect of a new Rayman game is bound to delight series enthusiasts, but it’s important to note that the project has a somewhat controversial standing within Ubisoft. This is attributed to the fact that series creator Michal Ancel maintains a significant influence as a consultant on the project, which some find puzzling. Additionally, there’s confusion among team members about Ubisoft’s choice to invest tens of millions each year into Beyond Good and Evil 2, considering its complex development history spanning seven years.

It appears that Ubisoft decided to reassign the team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown to other projects in May, following the game’s underperformance on sales. They had anticipated that the platformer would sell millions of copies like other successful Metroidvanias. Despite receiving positive reviews, the game’s commercial success fell short of expectations. Currently, it is believed that one million units of The Lost Crown have been sold.

It seems that Ubisoft has chosen not to produce a sequel for Prince of Persia: The Long Crown, leaving the future of a new platformer in the series uncertain. Those who are still working on the game are concentrating their efforts on making it accessible to a larger audience, with a Mac version scheduled for this winter. Additionally, fans can anticipate a remake of the popular 2003 action game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, but it won’t be released until 2026, which is six years after its initial announcement.

The Lost Crown was generally regarded as an “ideal endeavor,” largely due to its development process being perceived as more streamlined compared to Beyond Good and Evil 2, which had a more complicated structure. For some, it served as a “symbol of optimism” during the creation process, offering a satisfying experience even when they felt drained from working on the eagerly anticipated sequel.

Analysis: Exciting news tinged with uncertainty

Report: Disbanded Ubisoft Prince of Persia devs move to 3 new games, including a remake for a beloved platformer

It’s thrilling to learn about an upcoming Rayman game, but it’s disappointing that a follow-up to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – a standout Xbox and PC game this year, unfortunately shelved due to Ubisoft’s tarnished reputation – was cancelled. This decision allowed more developers to contribute to the teams working on the next Ghost Recon and Beyond Good and Evil 2. However, with the rumored internal dissatisfaction surrounding the Rayman remake and the seemingly stalled progress of Beyond Good and Evil 2, I’m not optimistic about their release.

Currently, I’m optimistically anticipating that the remake progresses as effortlessly as possible, with Ubisoft successfully refining Beyond Good and Evil 2 and minimizing any potential turmoil during its production. Nevertheless, Insider Gaming’s report has left me less than assured.

The game “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown” can be purchased for $39.99 on various platforms including Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (either Steam or Ubisoft Connect), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. For PC users, it’s also accessible through Ubisoft’s game subscription service similar to Xbox Game Pass, which is called Ubisoft+.

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2024-10-23 23:40