The UbiSoft Entertainment logo displayed at Paris Games Week, a trade fair for video games in Paris, France, October 29, 2019. BENOIT TESSIER / REUTERS
Ubisoft on Wednesday, January 21, ended a months-long wait for details of a restructuring the French games giant hopes will power it up to face a competitive market, at the price of a string of cancelled games and a new round of belt-tightening.
The highest-profile axed title, a remake of the beloved 2000s-era classic Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, was cut after teams sunk several years into its development. A further five games have been cancelled outright, including four unannounced titles and one mobile game, while seven more have been delayed.
The cuts and delays make up a large chunk of an expected €1 billion ($1.2 billion) operating loss in Ubisoft's 2025-26 financial year, but bosses say the spring cleaning of the group's pipeline is needed to refocus and get the reorganization off on the right foot in a market that has become pickier and more competitive than ever.
Ubisoft's restructuring will farm out many of its dozens of studios worldwide into an industry-first system of five "creative houses," each dedicated to developing a different genre of game. "Each one is built around a clear genre and brand focus, with full responsibility and financial ownership, led by dedicated leadership teams," chief executive Yves Guillemot said in a statement, calling the reorganization a "radical move" for the group.
