This week, **Ubisoft** announced one of the biggest restructurings in its history, with a direct impact on Brazilian players. The French company confirmed the cancellation of six projects, including the highly anticipated **Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake**, and the delay of seven other games. Furthermore, the company will close the Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Halifax studios, with more layoffs expected in other units. These radical changes, announced in January 2026, are part of a strategic “reset” to focus on open-world games and “games as a service” titles, in a market the company itself describes as more competitive than ever.
The decision to cancel the Prince of Persia remake, a project announced in 2020 and fraught with problems, came after an internal quality review. Ubisoft states that the game did not meet the new required standards. As a result of this major overhaul, the company expects to reduce its fixed costs by €200 million over the next two years, adding to previous cuts. In total, the goal is savings of around €500 million by 2028. Financially, the impact will be immediate: Ubisoft has revised its projections and now expects an operating loss of approximately €1 billion in 2026 alone.
The core of this transformation is the creation of five “Creative Houses,” divisions with creative and financial autonomy. The first, Vantage Studios, has already been announced and focuses on major franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. The other four units have now been detailed, each focusing on a specific genre. According to the company’s leadership, the idea is to decentralize decisions and make development more agile and focused, prioritizing fewer games but with more robust teams and greater commercial potential.
## Impact on Games and Company Culture
In addition to the public cancellation of the Prince of Persia remake, five other secret games were terminated, including three new IPs. Among the seven delayed titles, one that was planned to launch before March 2026 has been rescheduled for the next fiscal year, meaning by March 2027. Industry sources, such as IGN, indicate this game could be a remake or remaster of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, a much-discussed backstage project whose fate has not yet been officially confirmed by Ubisoft.
The restructuring also changes the routine for employees. To support the new model, Ubisoft has mandated a return to in-office work five days a week across all its studios, with a limited annual quota for remote work. Leadership argues that this measure aims to stimulate collaboration and creativity, essential for AAA projects. Meanwhile, fans are waiting to see how this new phase of the company will be reflected in the quality and ambition of future releases, at a crucial moment for one of the world’s largest publishers.
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