Ubisoft has reportedly moved the developers of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown onto new projects, including Beyond Good and Evil 2, the next Ghost Recon, and an unannounced Rayman remake.
This week it emerged that Ubisoft has disbanded the team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown after the Metroidvania reportedly failed to meet sales expectations. The core game development team, based at Ubisoft Montpellier, allegedly pushed for a sequel or at least more expansions beyond the single Mask of Darkness expansion, but Ubisoft needed help on other projects that had better sales potential.
According to Insider Gaming, most of the people behind the one million-selling Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have moved on to the eternally in-development Beyond Good and Evil 2, but others have been sent to help out on the next mainline Ghost Recon and about a dozen are now working on an unannounced Rayman remake in development at Mario + Rabbids maker Ubisoft Milan. IGN has asked Ubisoft for comment.
Rayman, created by video game designer Michel Ancel and first released in 1995, hasn't seen a mainline release since 2013's Rayman Legends. Ancel is reportedly working on the remake as a consultant, which, Insider Gaming reports, has ruffled feathers inside Ubisoft. Ancel was the subject of an internal investigation in 2020 after he was accused of behavior that led to difficult working conditions for the staff on Beyond Good and Evil 2. Ancel subsequently refuted the allegations and announced plans to quit the world of video games to open a wildlife sanctuary.
The changes at Ubisoft Montpellier and the relative failure of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown come amid one of the most tumultuous periods in Ubisoft’s history. Disappointing returns from Call of Duty competitor and Star Wars Outlaws sparked a share price collapse and a management inquest, as well as the delay of into 2025. Meanwhile,
In its recent note to investors, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot also happening around Ubisoft lately, which have intensified around Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin's Creed Shadows. Ubisoft’s founding Guillemot family and shareholder Tencent were said to be considering .
As for Prince of Persia, the hotly anticipated but heavily delayed Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake is due out at some point in 2026. In November last year, Ubisoft said the Ubisoft Montreal project had passed an “important” internal milestone and that development was “progressing.”
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Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.