Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a beloved entry in the action-adventure series and the original 2003 release was developed by Ubisoft Montreal.
In September of 2020, Ubisoft announced that it was remaking The Sands of Time, this time with Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai handling development. Originally set to release in January of 2021, Ubisoft revealed toward the end of 2020 that the remake had been delayed two months. Just three months later, Ubisoft announced that The Sands of Time was delayed indefinitely and that’s when fans began to wonder what was going on with this remake. It sounds like Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai couldn’t get a grasp on the remake because now, the publisher has revealed that the remake’s development has been shifted to Ubisoft Montreal, the original creator of the game.
“The development of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake will now be led by Ubisoft Montreal, the very birthplace of the epic Sands of Time trilogy,” a statement from the official Prince of Persia Twitter account reads. “This decision is an important step and the team, building upon the work achieved by Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai, will now take the time they need to regroup on the scope of the game to deliver you the best experience for this remake of an all-time classic, when it’s ready. We want to thank you all for your continuous support and patience throughout the development. Rest assured, that we will update you on the progress in a future update.”
As you can see, the remake has no new release date as a result of this change and theoretically, remains delayed indefinitely. If there was a release date attached to the project, there’s a good chance today’s news would have brought with it a new delay anyway.
While waiting to learn more, read Game Informer’s list of the five re-releases we can’t wait to play again.
Are you excited for The Sands of Time remake? Let us know in the comments below!
The project is being taken away from Ubisoft's Indian studios.
Ubisoft has announced that the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake is now being handled by Ubisoft Montreal, who created the Sands of Time trilogy. The project was originally in development over at Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai, two of the company's studios in India.
"This decision is an important step and the team, building upon the work achieved by Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai, will now take the time they need to regroup on the scope of the game to deliver you the best experience for this remake of an all-time classic, when it's ready," Ubisoft says in a statement on Twitter.
An update on the development of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake pic.twitter.com/8xQpqyPSwQ
— Prince of Persia (@princeofpersia) May 3, 2022
The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake was first announced in September 2020 with a release date of January 2021. It seemed like everything was set as various retailers had listings and preorder bonuses up. However, in December 2020, Ubisoft announced that the game would be delayed to March 18, 2021. When February 2021 rolled around, Ubisoft announced that it had been delayed once again, this time indefinitely.
Now it looks like the game's development has advanced, but a new release date still hasn't been revealed. Ubisoft, however, explains, "Rest assured, that we will update you on the progress in a future update."
Ubisoft has quite a few games in development. Some of them have been stuck in development limbo like this Prince of Persia remake.
Skull & Bones gameplay leaked several days ago, although it's unclear how far along in development the game actually is. Additionally, we still haven't heard anything substantiative about Beyond Good & Evil 2 at all since its announcement way back in 2017.
Every Ubisoft Game in Development
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey
Ubisoft Montreal has taken over development duties on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.
The game, which has already been delayed on several occasions, was previously in development at Indian studios Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai.
“The development of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake will now be led by Ubisoft Montreal, the very birth place of the epic Sands of Time Trilogy,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This decision is an important step and the team, building upon the work achieved by Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai, will now take the time they need to regroup on the scope of the game to deliver you the best experience for this remake of an all-time classic, when it’s ready.
“We want to thank you for your continued support and patience throughout the development,” it added. “Rest assured, that we will update you on the progress in a future update.”
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake had been in development for two and a half years when it was announced in September 2020.
Following a negative reaction to the game’s reveal trailer, its director said Ubisoft had chosen to give the remake “a unique visual treatment” to make it stand out from other titles.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake was originally planned for release in January 2021, but it has suffered multiple delays. It was most recently scheduled to release during Ubisoft’s current fiscal year which ends on March 31, 2023, but today’s announcement suggests that may no longer be the case.
Ubisoft Montpellier is reportedly working on an unannounced, 2.5D Prince of Persia game which is said to take inspiration from Moon Studios’ Ori series.