Ubisoft adds another studio to what seems like an increasingly desperate effort to finally get Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake finished

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How many studios does it take to remake a 20-year-old videogame? Maybe someday we'll find out.

Prince of Persia remake.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

A year after announcing that work on the long-struggling Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake was starting over from square one, Ubisoft has roped another studio into it: Ubisoft Toronto is now on the job.

The Sands of Time Remake was announced in 2020 with a planned release in 2021, which in hindsight proved to be wildly optimistic. Instead, Ubisoft moved the game from its Pune and Mumbai studios to Ubisoft Montreal, which didn't look great but at least had some nostalgic appeal: Ubisoft Montreal is the developer of the original Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Which brings us to now, and the new involvement of Ubisoft Toronto—although Ubisoft Montreal is still working on it too.

"Ubisoft Toronto is joining the development of the remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time!" the studio tweeted. "We’re excited to rewind time and bring our studio’s creativity, expertise and updated tech to refresh this beloved classic with our partners at UbisoftMTL."

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Ubisoft Montreal extended the obligatory warm welcome to the project: "So thrilled to embark on this epic journey with you! We cannot wait to weave the magic of this classic tale together!"

The natural question is, how many Ubisoft studios does it take to remake a 20-year-old videogame? The answer, I guess, is "four, so far," which frankly I find a little, well, weird. I don't mean to come across as dismissive about the challenges of making a videogame, but the original Sands of Time is right there. Just do that, but new, right?

The other, maybe less-obvious question is, what about that Splinter Cell remake Ubisoft Toronto is supposed to be working on? That was announced in 2021 and we've basically heard zip about it since, although the studio maybe hinted at a possible reveal in June, presumably at the Ubisoft Forward showcase on June 10. In response to inquiries about that game, Ubisoft Toronto simply said, "Still working on it."

(Image credit: Ubisoft)
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Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.