Ubisoft cancels Prince of Persia Remake pre-orders, but not the game

While Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is totally, definitely not canceled, Ubisoft says, the publisher is nonetheless refunding those who may have pre-ordered the game after its premature September 2020 announcement.

That comes from an FAQ, posted Monday, in response to “a lot of questions from our community,” regarding the project’s fate. You may remember that, in February 2021 — one month after the game’s original launch date and one month before its revised delivery date — Ubisoft told everyone The Sands of Time Remake was delayed indefinitely.

Then, this May, the game’s official Twitter account resurfaced with word that development had been taken from Ubisoft’s studios in Pune and Mumbai, India, and handed to Ubisoft Montreal. Still no revised release date was given.

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is not cancelled [emphasis theirs],” Ubisoft wrote. “The game is currently in development at Ubisoft Montreal.” That said, “there are currently no plans to remake any other Prince of Persia title,” which makes sense given the difficulty they’ve had delivering this one.

Of course, “since the game currently does not have a release date,” Ubisoft has decided to go ahead and cancel pre-orders and issue refunds where necessary.

Obviously, the publisher wanted to get the news in proper order here, as canceling pre-orders outright would lead most to assume that the game has been scrubbed. Which, frankly, it may as well be. If Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time has no launch date or window, and no pre-order availability, that’s like a Whopper without the burger or the bun: nothing.

Remember, video game makers practically never declare the cancellation of a title after they’ve announced it, especially if that announcement was made on an expo’s stage or during a livestream showcase. It’ll just recede into a haze of abandoned trademarks and quiet de-listings years later.