Who knew the power the rewind time would actually help hitting deadlines? Despite facing recent development challenges, here’s a positive turn of events for The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake. The project seems to have overcome its hurdles and is now reportedly in better shape than previously indicated – but no, no release date yet.
In celebration of the original game’s 20th anniversary, Ubisoft provided a brief update on the remake. The studio announced that the upcoming action-adventure remake has “passed an important internal milestone.” This unexpected, but also incredibly vague, update contrasts with Ubisoft’s earlier statement in May, where they mentioned having nothing more to share in 2023.
Development is progressing,” Ubisoft tweeted. “We look forward to sharing more in the future!”
As you know, the passionate team at @UbisoftMTL is reimagining this legendary story, and we are glad to announce today that the project has passed an important internal milestone and development is progressing.
We look forward to sharing more in the future!
— Prince of Persia™: The Lost Crown (@princeofpersia) November 21, 2023
Originally announced in 2020 with a slated release for the following year, The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake encountered development challenges, leading to an indefinite postponement. The decision was made to ensure the delivery of a remake that feels both fresh and faithful to the original. In May 2022, the publisher transferred development from its Mumbai studio to Ubisoft Montreal.
While details about the remake remain limited, it was previously mentioned that the game would run on a new version of the Ubisoft Anvil engine, the same engine powering Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Given the success of the new Assassin’s Creed game, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ubisoft continued using this engine.
The specific nature of the internal milestone wasn’t disclosed by Ubisoft, making it unclear just how many bottles of champagne we should pop. Did it make it through some key stakeholder approval, or an important technical test? Or did someone on the team finally clean the fridge? We might never know. We’re guessing it involved a email being sent.
Speculations suggest that Ubisoft Montreal, having taken over development last year, is now actively working on the project. Earlier in the year, Prince of Persia producer Jean-Francois Naud mentioned that the game was still in the conceptualization stage at the Montreal studio, advising players not to expect more information in the current year.
Assuming that Sands of Time development is now in full swing, the next major milestone could be the release of a short gameplay trailer or cinematic footage rendered by the game engine. Following that, a playable demo or a full-length gameplay video may be in the works, though such releases are likely years away – as is the game.
While fans eagerly anticipate a release date, it might be wise for Ubisoft to focus on ongoing development and provide periodic updates rather than announcing a placeholder date. Ubisoft has faced challenges with game releases, such as Skull and Bones and Beyond Good and Evil 2, which have experienced multiple delays, leading to doubts among fans about their eventual release.
As The Game Awards approach, fans will be keeping a close eye on any announcements from Ubisoft regarding The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, hoping for more information and a glimpse of the progress made.
