Following a negative response to the game's visuals and one Prince of Persia: Sands of Time at its Ubisoft Forward event earlier this year. The popular game originally debuted in 2003 to critical acclaim, but all has not appeared well with the coming revisit almost two decades later.
While the Prince of Persia games are not as prolific as other franchises under the Ubisoft banner like VR Escape Room, Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time. However, these smaller appearances are not what fans of the series were after, and the latter game was met with a lukewarm critical and fan responses. The leak and subsequent announcement of a remake of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was a welcome turn of events for fans, encapsulating the excitement that the original gave so many on its release 17 years ago, but many held reservations after the game's visuals didn't seem to be on par with what they've come to expect in 2020.
Unfortunately for those anticipating a January release of the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, they will have to wait a little while longer. After an earlier leak on a since removed Facebook post, an official announcement on the Prince of Persia Twitter feed has been released, confirming that the game will now be delayed by a couple of months. Citing that “2020 has been a year like no other,” the post goes on to explain that the developers of the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake need more time to finish the game and “ensure we deliver a game you like.” The studio then go on to thank its fans for their “patience and continued ," announcing the new release date to be March 18, 2021.
The delay of the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake until March is not a big one in the grand scheme of things, especially when compared to other high-profile delays this year. Crunch culture has become sadly commonplace within the games industry, with developers such as Naughty Dog and CD Projekt Red recently coming under fire for their high-pressure work environments to get titles released on time. While Ubisoft has yet to have its own moment in the tech industry's growing crunch spotlight, there have been several reports of misconduct and abuse within the company this year.
Despite this, Ubisoft is keeping busy with current and future gaming releases. Along with its remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, there is also talk that Ubisoft are planning to reboot the Prince of Persia franchise altogether, with a brand-new game suspected to be released in 2023 or 2024. Nothing official has been released as yet though, so fans will have to keep an ear to the ground for any more announcements. Hopefully in future the messages from the developers will come across a lot more clearly, to avoid any more second guessing and confusion from fans.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake will be available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 18, 2021.
Source: Prince of Persia
