Ubisoft has officially discontinued the remake of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. The information was free from industry insider Geoff Keighley via tweet, confirming the demise of the project that had been in continuous development for years and was always subjected to delays. The decision made by Ubisoft is considered a major reorganization and thus the end of a dream for the fans who expected to see the action-adventure game relived.
Oh my god, that was so painful and shocking! You keep expecting the good news, see a couple of subpar trailers but still, you keep your fingers crossed, right? And then suddenly you are told that the whole project is dead. Just like that. The entire timeline becomes a huge mess of chaos. The reactions show a wide range of feelings from rage, and sorrow to, honestly, a lot of “I told you so” vibes. One gamer, Cates simply expresses: “They can eat my shorts”, which, in fact, is a sentiment that many others would agree with. It is a very apt expression of the sentiment.
And you cannot help but feel sympathy for the people who were really excited about the game. “The only game I was looking forward to from Ubisoft and they canceled it. The absolute state of this company,” writes Eraser. This remark cuts deeply since it is so well expressed. It was not just one more game among the rest; for a few, this was THE game. The last glimmer of hope in a dark … well, you know, the usual Ubisoft stuff. Another user, Honestgabe88, simply remarks, “What the f….” which, yes. Same.
On the other side, there were players who were certain about the cancellation a long time before it actually happened. “No surprise at all after the reveal of what they were doing with it. Probably the best choice. Just let it rest in peace and don’t vandalize it like the rest of the IPs,” Exorius says. This is definitely an interesting take, isn’t it? It’s like having a protective stance. The argument is, “you wouldn’t do it properly anyway, so just quit.” Some even went as far as to say that it was a good thing, like Estus_Addict stating, “Good. Ubislopft would do nothing but absolutely shit on the legacy of this legendary title.” Stinging. The name “Ubislopft” is sure to be around for a while after this.
The dissatisfaction is not only related to the game but extends to the whole Ubisoft situation. Gamers are taking this chance to let all their complaints out. “Ubisoft is trash,” says PenguinHunter. Another, SYNGOED, simply observes, “Ubisoft is always pulling in L’s.” It has turned into a representation of a larger problem. One gamer inquires about the Black Flag remake? Another one, TokuAANN, is heard reflecting, “What does Ubisoft even possess these days other than dead AC?” A very legit query! When the most anticipated project is canceled, what is left?
There is no doubt that conspiracy theories and jokes are going to be spread like wildfire. A comment goes like, “Probably canceled it so they can create another woke assassin’s Creed, maybe this time the protagonist will be transgender. Ubisoft sucks.” This shows how some part of the player community feels – there is an utter mistrust of the company’s creative abilities. And another player, machoplvl100, more pessimistically puts it, “Probably because it’s not a live service microtransaction slop.” What? Oh yes, the single-player, narrative-driven remake just doesn’t fit in with the current Ubisoft money-making model. That is a really discouraging thought, but I would say that it is not hard for one to see why such a conclusion would be drawn.
There is also confusion. Taciturnguy88 asks, “Wait didn’t they almost finish this game? What happened? I mean besides the character models everything seemed fine.” This suggests that the cancellation was a commercial decision, not a quality one, which somehow makes it even worse. It was practically finished! And another person points out that they just saw a promotion for it yesterday. The whiplash experience is certainly real.
However, the feelings are pretty similar no matter which side you are on, and the only difference is in the manner of expressing it. Disappointment. A company that once could create eternal masterpieces like the original Sands of Time is now seen as unable to manage its own legacy. Gamers are now even less demanding and instead are asking for mere remasters, one of them, Nagirdnal, even says, “I just want a remaster. I don’t have faith in them to make good games anymore.” That is extremely harsh. Trust is gone.
This isn’t just a single game cancellation anymore. It seems like a point at which a flood of… PlayStation and Xbox gamers alike are left wondering what’s next.
