Following yesterday’s news, Ubisoft confirmed that the team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has been disbanded and its employees from Ubisoft Montpellier have been transferred to other projects. This will be extremely disappointing news for fans of Metroidvania twists in Prince of Persia.
The news came yesterday on the program of French reporter Gautoza Origami channel on YouTubewith Ubisoft reportedly making the decision to allow the game’s DLC and cosmetics plan to be released, but will end support there and not give the green delicate for a sequel or any further expansions. The decision even went so far as to state that this was intended to not “cannibalize” the game’s long-term sales.
Although the details of the reports have not been confirmed by Ubisoft, the general outline has been. – said Abdelhak Elguess, senior producer of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown statement to Eurogamer: :
“I’m incredibly proud of the work and passion of our team at Ubisoft Montpellier to create a game that appealed to both players and critics alike, and I’m confident it will be a long-term success.
“Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is now reaching the end of its post-launch roadmap, which included three free content updates and one DLC that was released in September. Our focus now is on bringing the game to more players: it was recently released on Steam and will be available on Mac this winter.
“Most of the team members who worked on Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have moved on to other projects that will benefit from their expertise.
“We know gamers love this franchise, and Ubisoft is excited to bring more Prince of Persia adventures to the table in the future.”
Unfortunately, it looks like it just didn’t sell well enough for Ubisoft’s liking – around 1 million copies according to Insider Gaming – when Ubisoft is looking to really maximize sales amid a string of disappointing, bigger-budget titles. Perhaps part of the problem was the higher price tag compared to standout indie Metroidvania games – The Lost Crown was $50 – and not releasing on Steam would also hurt PC sales.
Ubisoft Montpellier is the main studio of Beyond Good & Evil 2, which has been in development for seemingly forever. Insider Gaming reports that the team is spread out across BG&E2, Project Ovr, which is the next Ghost Recon game, and Project Steambot, the Rayman remake being developed with Ubisoft Milan.
The premiere of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown took place in January and marked the beginning of the year. “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is one of the best metroidvanias I’ve ever played,” Ade wrote in our review, “and a fantastic way to start 2024. With stimulating and kinetic platforming, breathtaking combat, and a massive game world, that takes exploration and makes it fun. It’s time to kick nostalgia difficult into the unmentionable; It’s the best Prince of Persia ever.”
Sources: origami, Eurogamer, Insider games
