The sixth generation of consoles was home to countless classics, from iconic movie tie-in games, to brand new IPs that would go on to launch a decade-long franchise. One of the more underrated types of games on the sixth generation was the revival of older gaming series. One of the best examples of this was Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, a 2003 gem that revitalized the Prince of Persia franchise for the modern age of gaming, and now, Ubisoft has a remake in the works.
Announced back in 2020 during the Ubisoft Forward Showcase, the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake is, unfortunately, stuck in a bit of a limbo right now. After multiple delays, swapping of development teams, and now Ubisoft issuing refunds for pre-orders, it seems as though the Prince of Persia remake is in a bit of trouble, which may remind fans of another high-profile remake delayed earlier this year: the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake.
The Prince of Persia Remake Could be a Pipe Dream Just Like KOTOR
When the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake was first announced in 2020, it debuted alongside a trailer. Despite coming in at around just two minutes long, that was more than enough time for fans to form a strong first impression of the remake. That impression wasn't strictly good. Complaints and criticism quickly filed in from every corner of the internet, with the vast consensus being that the game looked horrible. The textures and character models of the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake certainly didn't look like a PS4 and Xbox One game.
After the immediate backlash, Ubisoft published a statement on the appearance of the game, claiming that the visual design was actually a deliberate choice on the developer and publisher's part, believing that it would make the game "stand out." It was certainly an odd claim from the publisher, and fans were quick to ridicule Ubisoft for it. The Prince of Persia remake was originally slated for a January 2021 release, but following this overwhelming wave of criticism, Ubisoft decided to push it back to March 2021 to give the developer more time.
However, soon after the release date change, Ubisoft announced that the Prince of Persia remake was being delayed indefinitely in order to give the development team more time to create an experience that both felt "fresh" while also "remaining faithful" to the original. Despite the indefinite delay, Ubisoft's financial reports of that year claimed that the remake was still intended for a 2022-2023 release.
In May of this year, Ubisoft announced that the original developers, Ubisoft Mumbai and Ubisoft Pune, were being replaced by Ubisoft Montreal as the lead developer on the Prince of Persia project. The developer behind the original Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Ubisoft Montreal is one of the publisher's top development studios, having worked on Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell, and Watch Dogs. It seemed as though the remake was finally in good hands.
But just a few days ago, Ubisoft announced that it was canceling fans' pre-orders of the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, and that refunds were being issued. While the outcome of this won't be known for some time, it may remind fans of Aspyr's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, which received a similar indefinite delay earlier this year. Though the details are still hazy, it seems as though KOTOR's development was just a little too ambitious for Aspyr, and the project may have been handed to a more experienced developer. Hopefully, fans will hear from both games soon enough, and they won't end up being just two more gaming pipe dreams.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is in development.