Ubisoft has cancelled six video video games – together with its long-awaited Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake – as a part of a “main reset” of its operations.
The French developer and writer, recognized for common video games comparable to Murderer’s Creed, Far Cry and Simply Dance, has closed two studios and delayed seven titles as a part of its adjustments.
Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot mentioned the transfer would “create the circumstances for a return to sustainable progress”.
The agency’s shares plunged by 33% on Thursday morning following the announcement.
The transfer comes at a time when studios are more and more turning to online game remakes and remasters, with new variations of Tremendous Mario Galaxy, Oblivion and Metallic Gear Stable 3 proving common in 2025.
So the choice to bin the remake of Sands of Time – which bought tens of millions of copies in 2003 – has left many followers scratching their heads.
Ubisoft has not specified which titles it has discontinued alongside the Prince of Persia remake.
Nevertheless it says amongst them are 4 unannounced titles, together with three primarily based on new mental property, and a cell recreation.
Ubisoft has closed its studios in Stockholm, Sweden and Halifax, Canada as a part of the transfer, which can embody restructuring three others.
The builders had been engaged on a brand new mental property (IP) and cell titles for Murderer’s Creed, respectively.
The closure of Ubisoft Halifax was beforehand introduced in January – the identical week the studio shaped a union.
“Whereas these selections are tough, they’re needed for us to construct a extra targeted, environment friendly and sustainable organisation over the long run,” Guillemot mentioned.
“Taken collectively, these measures mark a decisive turning level for Ubisoft and replicate our dedication to confront challenges head-on to reshape the Group for the long run”.
Gaming business analyst Piers Harding-Rolls informed the BBC the transfer indicated the agency was making an attempt to mitigate danger.
“It is much less dangerous to take care of scale by investing in present massive franchises comparable to Murderer’s Creed and Rainbow Six than launch solely new IPs and that is mirrored within the cancellation of a lot of video games primarily based on new IPs,” he mentioned.
It’s the second restructure from Ubisoft in subsequent years, after the agency minimize 185 jobs throughout Europe in 2025.
Within the UK, it closed its office in Leamington and restructured one other in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Guillemot mentioned the brand new transfer was partially resulting from a aggressive marketplace for triple-A video games – blockbuster titles which value tens of millions to develop and dominate massive studios’ choices.
“On the one hand, the triple-A business has change into persistently extra selective and aggressive with rising improvement prices and better challenges in creating manufacturers,” he mentioned in a statement on Wednesday.
Such massive choices are more and more going through delays – with Grand Theft Auto VI pushed back for a second time to November 2026.
However Guillemot mentioned regardless of these hurdles, profitable blockbuster video games might deliver “extra monetary potential than ever”.
“On this context, immediately we’re saying a significant reset constructed to create the circumstances for a return to sustainable progress over time,” he mentioned.
Ubisoft will now concentrate on growing open world journey video games – which let gamers freely navigate huge environments – and reside service video games which search common funds from gamers.
The agency mentioned its subsidiary Vantage Studios, created after a €1.25bn ($1.25bn; £1bn) investment from Chinese tech giant Tencent, would purpose to show Murderer’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six “into annual billionaire manufacturers”.
