Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake still has a long development road at Ubisoft, as it is currently in the “conception” stage, despite being announced closer to three years ago. Ubisoft offered an update interview with Producer Jean-Francois Naud and Game Director Michael McIntyre at Ubisoft Montreal to share new details about Sands of Time Remake‘s development, after the studio took over responsibilities from previous developers Ubisoft Mumbai and Ubisoft Pune. The move meant the action platformer reimagining would be back in the hands of the studio that created the original, but it sounds like a lot of work still needs to be done.
Ubisoft makes one thing clear: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is “very much alive.” However, it won’t be present at the publisher’s June Ubisoft Forward showcase as the team goes heads-down to get the ball rolling. Naud said the team is still finding its footing since taking over the project last year. He explained that they have been taking in fan feedback as they continue in the concept stage, warning fans that they shouldn’t expect to hear anything more official before 2024:
In terms of the development stage, we’re in conception right now. Since we took over the project, we’ve been looking at feedback from the community and finding our own way of delivering the game. Now, we’re building up the team, defining the priorities, putting prototypes together, testing elements, and looking at how we can include community feedback in the development as well. It’s still in an early stage, and players should not expect to hear more about the game this year, but rest assured that we’re all putting our strengths and heart into this project.
Ubisoft’s update went on to promise modernized features and controls, including updated movement, combat, and, of course, visuals. McIntyre said that the story, however, will “remain true to itself.” For McIntyre, Naud, and the rest of the Ubisoft Montreal team, it’s about bringing a new experience while still maintaining the original’s spirit – even if it takes a few more years.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake was announced in 2020 with an original release date of January 21, 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It’s now launching much, much later than that, so stay tuned for further updates.