Looks like Ubisoft and controversy have both been aligned with each other for the past couple of years. This was once again provided when the news arrived that Ubisoft had disbanded the team of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, closing any hopes for the sequel. The game, which was released on 18 January 2024 on Nintendo, Playstation4/5, Windows and Xbox One, has been cited as one of the best games the studio has ever produced in recent years.
The studio executive confirmed the news on the prominent gaming website Euro gamer, stating that it has been done to make the people of this game assigned to other projects which will benefit from their expertise. A question obviously will emerge in your mind: why did Ubisoft decide to disband the team of the game which has got critical appraisal?
The reasons why Ubisoft disbanded the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team
As reported by various trustworthy insiders, one of the main reasons why the team has been disbanded is due to the sales of the game. Despite the game being critically praised by reviewers, the sales didn’t match the expectations that Ubisoft held. Various reports have claimed that the game has only made 15 million in sales when the budget of the game was 200 million. This was also the main reason why various sequel ideas that were pitched by the team were repeatedly rejected by Ubisoft, fearing that a sequel could hurt the legacy of this franchise.
However, fans did not accept this thing as they knew that this game was more of a fan project, and Ubisoft has also lowered expectations of this game. So shutting the game is, in this process unreasonable.
I bet another question is also roaming around your mind: what are the reasons why Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, despite having received such critical praise, brought such disappointing sales figures? Well, the main reason is the company itself.
How Ubisoft killed the chances
One of the ways a game can successfully get strong sales is by doing well on PC, to be precise, on the Steam platform. Ubisoft made a major blunder in this process as instead of releasing Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on Steam, they released it on Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect. The two platforms are heavily unpopular among PC gamers compared to Steam. The number of active users per month on all of these platforms is the perfect way to justify the statement.
| Platform | Total Users (In Million) |
| Steam | 100+ |
| Epic Games Store | 75+ |
| Ubisoft Connect | 65+ (As per reports) |
It can be seen that Ubisoft was always tapping this game into a smaller audience from the beginning. Even though they later released Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on Steam, it was already too; late as 7 months had already passed away. The gaming experts already said that if Ubisoft had released Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on Steam during the initial release date, the sales results would have been different.
I know there is another question now being emerged on your head that by disbanding the team behind the game what Ubisoft meant by it? Will they abandon one of the classic franchises of them forever? Or they will start it from scratch?
The disbanding and what it is meant for Ubisoft
Well, if you think that Ubisoft, by disbanding the team of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, will initially pull the plug on one of their classic franchises, then the assumption might turn out wrong for you as Abdelhak Elguess, one of the senior producers of this game has stated that Ubisoft is still excited to bring more Prince of Persia games in the future. However, as per the reports by insiders, Ubisoft is unlikely will continue with the Prince of Persia franchise anytime soon in the present which means that the long-awaited Prince of Persia: Sands of Time that is being sitting with a 2026 release window might be shelved.
However, assigning the team of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown to the other projects is a huge benefit Ubisoft can see. As this team already has produced such a top-notch quality game like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown so, surely there inputs on games which they are being primarily assigned, which are Beyond Good and Evil 2, the Untitled Ghost Recon game and an unannounced Rayman remake as per reports will surely going to provide massive benefit for this games.
Final Thoughts
The disbanding of the team of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown totally indicates how clueless the management of Ubisoft is. I mean, firstly, it was a purely passionate fan project, and the company didn’t even expect it to earn such a huge amount of profit but yet they laid off the potential plans of the game based on the sales figure. Besides that, this incident also possibly depicts how the creativity aspect always gets buried under corporate greed.
For fans of Prince of Persia, especially those who grew up with this game, this news is entirely devastating, especially since the rumours have suggested that it is unlikely the series will continue in future. However only positive aspect of this process is that the team will provide their insights on various other games, and this provides a good chance for Ubisoft in this process to successfully overcome from there bad patch.
List of Prince of Persia games produced by Ubisoft
| Game Title | Release Year | Platform(s) |
| Prince of Persia | 1989 | Various |
| Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame | 1993 | Various |
| Prince of Persia 3D | 1999 | PC, PlayStation, Dreamcast |
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | 2003 | PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PSP |
| Prince of Persia: Warrior Within | 2004 | PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PSP |
| Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones | 2005 | PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PSP |
| Prince of Persia (2008) | 2008 | PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands | 2010 | PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP |
| Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | 2023 | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
FAQ
Why did Ubisoft disband the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team?
Ubisoft disbanded the team primarily due to the game’s underperformance in sales, despite critical acclaim. The game’s sales were significantly lower than Ubisoft’s expectations.
What platforms did The Lost Crown release on?
The game was released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect.
Why did Ubisoft choose Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect over Steam?
Ubisoft’s decision to release the game on Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect instead of Steam is considered a major factor in its underperformance. Steam has a significantly larger user base compared to the other two platforms, and releasing on Steam could have boosted sales.
What is the future of the Prince of Persia franchise?
While Ubisoft has expressed interest in continuing the Prince of Persia franchise, the future of the series remains uncertain. The disbanding of the Lost Crown team and the potential shelving of the Sands of Time remake suggest that the franchise may be on hiatus for the time being.
How will the disbanded team contribute to other Ubisoft projects?
The talented team members from the Lost Crown project will be reassigned to other Ubisoft projects, including Beyond Good and Evil 2, the Untitled Ghost Recon game, and an unannounced Rayman remake. Their expertise and experience are expected to contribute positively to these projects.