In context: The past several years have been tumultuous for Ubisoft, marked by numerous games that either never saw the light of day, suffered from troubled development cycles, or underperformed commercially. As the company repeatedly sidesteps speculation of a buyout by Tencent, Ubisoft has announced even more cancellations, delays, studio closures, and likely layoffs.
Ubisoft plans to overhaul its internal structure over the coming months and years and significantly revise its release lineup. Intensifying its focus on open-world games, live-service titles, and player-facing generative AI, the company has delayed seven games and cancelled six, including the long-in-development remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
The French publisher initially unveiled the project in 2020, when it was under development by Ubisoft Mumbai and Ubisoft Pune. However, following negative reactions to the reveal trailer, the game was handed to Ubisoft Montreal, the studio behind the 2003 original. In 2023, the developer confirmed that it had rebooted the project. The cancellation is surprising, as prior rumors suggested an imminent release, possibly as soon as mid-January and definitely before April.
– Prince of Persia™ (@princeofpersia) January 21, 2026
Meanwhile, the other canceled projects include three new intellectual properties, one mobile game, and another unnamed title that some observers say might be the remake of the original Splinter Cell, first announced in 2021. Ubisoft has cancelled a dozen games since 2022.
Furthermore, the French publisher did not name the seven delayed projects, but confirmed it moved one planned release from this fiscal year to 2027. Insider Gaming believes that the company is referring to the unannounced remake of 2014's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.
As part of an effort to reduce costs by €100 million by March, Ubisoft is also closing its studios in Halifax and Stockholm. Ubisoft Abu Dhabi, RedLynx, and Massive Entertainment will also be restructured. Moreover, the company announced a five-day-a-week return-to-office mandate with a limited number of annual remote work days.
In an effort to continue producing competitive AAA games with a more flexible and reactive organizational structure, Ubisoft is reorganizing development and publishing into five "Creative Houses," which will focus on specific franchises and genres. The only named house thus far is the recently reorganized Vantage Studios – a Tencent-funded venture that manages development of the Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six franchises.
The second creative house will develop multiplayer shooters such as The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. A third will handle For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, Brawlhalla, Skull & Bones, and other live-service titles.
Creative House number four will manage Anno, Might & Magic, Rayman, Prince of Persia, and Beyond Good & Evil. The announcement might indicate that Ubisoft has not cancelled Beyond Good & Evil 2, which it announced in 2008. The company released impressive prototype gameplay footage a decade later and confirmed that development was ongoing as of 2024. Ubisoft will dedicate its fifth creative house to family-oriented games, such as Just Dance.
Ubisoft is hitting reset again: cancels games, closes studios, and delays releases
