Prince Of Persia Remake 'Development Hell': Inexperienced Leadership, More Factors Said To Cause Removal Of Ubisoft India Studios

Ubisoft's Mumbai and Pune studios were initially in charge of the remake’s development, before getting kicked out of the project.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake doesn't a final release date yet.

Source : Ubisoft

New Delhi: More often than not, games get stuck in ‘development hell’ as it gets passed between studios, game engines, or crew before they see the light of day — if at all. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake appears to be the latest victim of this prolonged limbo. First announced two years ago, the remake of the action-adventure classic was initially expected to release in January 2021 and was eventually delayed indefinitely. Earlier this month, Ubisoft announced the removal of its Mumbai and Pune studios from the project, saying that Ubisoft Montreal will now be in charge of the remake’s development. While Ubisoft didn’t offer any detail, a newsletter from a known industry insider has now given a behind-the-scenes look into why Ubisoft decided to take the project off its studios in India.

As per the latest 0451 Games newsletter by Rishi Alwani, Ubisoft said it would “regroup on the scope of the game.” Based on inputs from multiple sources at the Mumbai and Pune studios of Ubisoft India, Alwani reported that “little to no documentation” was provided to the Indian studios. “This led to designers having to figure out how to make the game and its levels from scratch with little guidance,” the newsletter said.

ALSO ON ABP LIVE: Prince Of Persia Remake: Pune, Mumbai Studios Removed From Project

Apart from that, the remake project’s director was said to lack any game development experience. Following the initial reveal of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, and the lukewarm reaction it garnered from fans, the project was entirely outsourced to Brighton-headquartered firm Electric Square. After this, the Prince of Persia remake’s director was “moved to the team working on Riders Republic.” Electric Square was reportedly unable to woo Ubisoft with what it had done for the remake, which eventually led to the handing over of the entire project to Ubisoft Montreal.

The team at Ubisoft India was also reportedly forced to use the in-house Anvil Engine. This led to “janky, odd animations” of the Prince in the initial reveal trailer, as per Alwani. The version of Anvil that the team was asked to use was based on Assassin’s Creed Origins, designed primarily for its protagonist Bayek, who is visibly more heavyset than the lean frame of the Prince.

So, now that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake has been moved to Ubisoft Montreal, what happens to Ubisoft India’s Mumbai and Pune teams? Well, they have reportedly been “relegated back to quality assurance and live operations rather than full-scale development.” While this led to speculations on if Ubisoft would renew the lease on its Powai-based Mumbai studio when it expires, some sources reportedly said that the company has signed a five-year lease on the studio last year.

The newsletter also reports a “mass exodus of senior talent” caused by Ubisoft’s “rampant mismanagement.” Alwani wrote, “What should have been the game that solidifies India’s development prowess at a global level ended up being a mess of colossal proportions with poor decision making and lack of actual leadership to blame.”

It should be noted that Ubisoft hasn’t offered any detail on the reasons behind the removal of its Indian studios from the Prince of Persia remake project. The company told ABP Live, "Ubisoft does not comment on speculation or opinions. We are proud of the work achieved by Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai, and Ubisoft Montreal will benefit from their learnings as the new team will continue to work to deliver a great remake."

So, as Ubisoft confirmed, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is indeed on its way, but doesn’t have a final release date yet.