A Very Strange Decision: The Canceled Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake Was Almost Ready for Release
The remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was canceled as part of Ubisoft's restructuring. A developer who worked on the project reported that the game was close to completion, but its production was halted due to internal instability and the threat of layoffs.
According to him, management decided that stopping development at a late stage was less risky than releasing an unprepared product, especially considering the expectations for post-launch support. He also noted that linear games like Sands of Time fit poorly into Ubisoft's current strategy, which is focused on large open worlds.
The remake preserved the essence of the original but offered an updated time mechanic allowing interaction with the "echo" of the player's past actions. However, it will not be possible to realize this idea now.