Ubisoft had announced the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake would be launching in just under a month on March 18. Which you would assume means the game was nearing the end of its development, but the company has had a change of plans. In an attempt to address feedback directed at the remake, Ubisoft has delayed it to an undetermined window.
The announcement came through posts on the series’ social media channels, which explained that this delay was in reaction to the feedback it had received since unveiling the project back in September.
Hello Prince of Persia fans!
Since announcing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake in September, we saw an outpouring of feedback from you on this beloved franchise. It is your passion and support that is driving our development teams to make the best game possible. With that said, we have made the decision to shift the release for Prince of Persia: The Sands of time Remake to a later date. This extra development time will enable our teams to deliver a remake that feels fresh while remaining faithful to the original.
We understand this update might come as a surprise and we will continue to keep you posted on the progress of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. In the meantime, we want to thank you all for your ongoing support.
Another update from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake dev team: pic.twitter.com/O6OOmYXhOD
— Prince of Persia (@princeofpersia) February 5, 2021
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Much of the aforementioned feedback is in reference to the game’s visuals, which were scrutinized by some fans for looking what some considered out of date. In a statement issued to The Mako Reactor, Game Director Pierre Sylvain-Gires explained the Remake’s look was a stylistic choice:
“If you take the game that was made 17 years ago, there’s definitely room for improvement in terms of graphism and we really wanted to give a unique look to the game because Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is actually is a fantasy story,” says Sylvain-Gires. “The narration, the 40 different levels you have to go through to finish the game are an immersion into the Thief of Baghdad and all these magical environments. So we decided to go for a unique visual treatment to make this game standout from other games. It’s not another Assassin’s Creed, it’s not like the same Prince of Persia from 2008. It has to be unique. This magic, this fantasy is shown through the saturation, through the light, so it also a challenge to redefine the visual identity of the game with this remake.”
For those curious about what looks so different, check out this comparison video of the original game and the footage shown of the remake thus far.
The announcement gives no new release window, so it’s unclear just how much longer the team plans to spend working on the Remake, and just how much of an overhaul the studio at Ubisoft Pune intends to enact. The game could be a few months away, or it could be a year out. Who can say?
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is the first mainline game in the series since 2010’s The Forgotten Sands. Since then, Ubisoft has made a limited time event in For Honor based on the series.
