Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! The Prince of Persia series is known to many from the PS2-era hit Sands of Time and its follow-ups, but it began with developer Broderbund's original Prince of Persia in 1989, designed and helmed by Jordan Mechner. Following the cancellation of the Sands of Time remake that had been in the works, and indeed in the trenches, at Ubisoft for years – just one casualty of a massive overhaul at the long-declining company – Mechner took to his blog to commiserate with fans and developers hurt by the news. "I'd hoped my first post of the new year would celebrate The Sands of Time's release, but alas, that's not in the cards," Mechner begins in a February 4 post. "The remake's cancellation as part of Ubisoft's restructuring was disappointing news to all fans who'd been eagerly awaiting it, myself included." Mechner extends his sympathies to the Sands of Time remake team at Ubisoft Montreal, who'd endured internal reboots during production. "Having a project killed is a brutal experience," he says. "It's an aspect of the game industry that the public doesn't often see, but developers are all too familiar with." Prince of Persia remake dev comments on its cancellation: "We know this is deeply disappointing" Former Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake dev says the end was "close," but Ubisoft had other "priorities" Prince of Persia remake cancellation is "the most devastating moment" of voice actor's career after 3 years of work Loads of games are cancelled without a single public word, often over funding or creative issues, or in the name of other business priorities. World of Warcraft and Overwatch 2 maker Blizzard has an especially, but not uniquely industrious project graveyard. Mechner later adds that he feels "grateful" to now be working with books and other art like graphic novels, where production budgets are smaller and creative freedom is "priceless." "A cancellation so close to release can be particularly devastating for younger team members who don't have decades of past shipped titles on their resumé," Mechner continues, and that's especially true given the state of the games industry after tens of thousands of layoffs in the past few years. "It's tough to suddenly absorb that the past four years of hard work you were proud of, and looking forward to seeing out in the world as your new calling card, will now never see daylight." "Words like loss and grieving might seem exaggerated, but artists put their hearts into their work," he adds, and losing that hard work outright, especially to business decisions above your head, is a real blow. "Memories of nights and weekends spent in studio crunch instead of at home with loved ones, sacrifices that felt worth it at the time, only add to the pain retrospectively once their object ceases to exist," he concludes. Eman Ayaz, one of the actors on the Sands of Time remake, called the cancellation, which she only learned of online, "the most devastating moment" of her career. She said she broke her foot during the project but "continued to work," and found that she'd dug up some of her best performances during recording. After 6 years of waiting, multiple delays, and a complete reboot, Prince of Persia remake dev comments on its cancellation: "We know this is deeply disappointing."