Ubisoft has announced yet another delay for its remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and that the game will be completed by the team at Ubisoft Montreal. Previously, Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai had been responsible for the game’s development.
“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,” the company explained in a public statement.
If the words “Ubisoft Montreal” and “Prince of Persia” ring a bell, that’s because the Montreal studio was the team that developed the Sands of Time trilogy from the 2000s.
What also might sound familiar is Ubisoft’s struggle to convert its support studios into teams that can take point on the development of their own games. Ubisoft Singapore (which has been a central fixture in reports about allegations of sexual harassment and abuse at the company) is only set to release its pirate sailing game Skull and Bones after six years of troubled development.
Ubisoft Pune was previously known for its contributions to the Just Dance series, and Ubisoft Mumbai was only founded in 2018.
It’s not clear what factors have caused so much trouble for getting this remake of The Sands of Time off the ground. Ubisoft is experienced with making games using multiple studios at once, so that likely isn’t the core issue. The game’s developers did announce their intent to feature updated and classic control schemes, new graphics, a new camera system, and more.
The bulk of Ubisoft’s games in the last decade have been released from the studio’s Northern European and North American offices. Ubisoft Milan made a splash with the release of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle—enough of a splash to earn the game an enhanced sequel.
It would seem that Ubisoft’s intent to turn support studios across the globe into fully-independent production outfits is running into the limits of what it can achieve. It’s also possible that this move may be in advance of some kind of impending acquisition.