Following reports yesterday, Ubisoft has confirmed that the team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has been disbanded, with its employees at Ubisoft Montpellier being moved along to other projects. This will be hugely disappointing news to fans of the Metroidvania twist on Prince of Persia.
The news came yesterday from French reporter Gautoz in their show on the Origami YouTube channel, with Ubisoft reportedly making the decision to allow for the DLC and cosmetics roadmap to be released for the game, but end support there and not greenlight a sequel or any further expansions. The decision went so far as to say this was so as not to “cannibalize” long term sales of the game.
While the specifics of the reporting haven’t been confirmed by Ubisoft, the general gist has been. Abdelhak Elguess, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown senior producer said in a statement to Eurogamer:
“I’m extremely proud of our team’s work and passion at Ubisoft Montpellier to create a game that resonated with players and critics alike, and I am confident in its long-term success.
“Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is now at the end of its Post-Launch roadmap with three free content updates and one DLC that released in September. We are now focusing on making the game available to more players: it was recently launched on Steam, and will be available on Mac by this winter.
“Most of the team members who worked on Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have shifted to other projects that will benefit from their expertise.
“We know players have a love for this brand and Ubisoft is excited to bring more Prince of Persia experiences in the future.”
Sadly, it seems that it simply didn’t sell well enough for Ubisoft’s liking – roughly 1 million copies, per Insider Gaming – when Ubisoft is looking to really maximise sales amid a string of disappointment bigger budget titles. Perhaps part of the problem was having a higher price point when compared to indie metroidvania standouts – The Lost Crown was $50 – and not releasing on Steam would have hurt PC sales as well.
Ubisoft Montpellier is the lead studio on Beyond Good & Evil 2, which has been in development for what feels like forever. Insider Gaming reports that the team has been spread across BG&E2, Project Ovr, which is the next Ghost Recon game, and Project Steambot, a Rayman remake in development with Ubisoft Milan.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown launched in January and was an early highlight of the year. “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is one of the finest metroidvanias I’ve ever played,” Ade wrote in our review, “and a fantastic way to start 2024. Thrilling and kinetic platforming, thumping combat, and a vast game world that demands exploration, and makes it a joy to do. It’s time to kick nostalgia firmly in the unmentionables; this is the best Prince of Persia ever.”
Sources: Origami, Eurogamer, Insider Gaming
