Time to Rewind

In a written statement, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said the firm would transform its model to focus on its two core pillars, “Open World Adventures and GaaS-native experiences”. This would seem to indicate that the publisher is taking the familiar path, betting big on its tentpoles such as Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six: Siege, but there’s some other insights to be gained as well.

The restructuring around its ‘creative house’ development teams has separated Ubisoft’s portfolio into five divisions. Those aforementioned ‘tentpoles’ will remain under the Vantage Studios umbrella, while four other creative houses will be established to focus on Ubisoft’s other key verticals: shooters, live-service, narrative, and family games.

This would seem to suggest that long-held and relatively dormant IP, such as Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil may yet live on. The latter of which will come as a pleasant surprise to those that have been patiently waiting 17 years for a sequel.

For Prince of Persia fans it may come as a small comfort that the development team has confirmed they are not stepping away from the franchise entirely. The optimist in me would say that the strong reactions to Sands of Time’s cancellation would suggest there is still enough sustained interest in the IP. In which case, fans should make their voices heard through their wallets - if they actually show up. The most recent entry, The Lost Crown, received a strong critical reception, but reportedly failed to meet its sales targets.

Much like The Sands of Time, Ubisoft may be hoping to rewind the clock and reset its trajectory - but if the markets are anything to go by, they will have a lot to prove over the course of their three-year roadmap.