We’re already anticipating that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will be overlooked in the end-of-the-year selections due to its early January release, although it’s fair to say that it was one of Ubisoft’s best-received games in quite some time. Unfortunately for it, sales didn’t keep up (at least for Ubisoft) and we already suspected that there is no sequel in the air. A feeling now reinforced by information indicating that the team in charge of the project at Ubisoft Montpellier no longer exists.
A Difficult Choice to Comprehend
As soon as the latest DLC was released, the team was disbanded. This is according to the sources quoted by Gautoz in a YouTube video (in French), who point out that this fate comes as no surprise either, given that this outcome was transparently decided several months ago.
Since the project had not achieved the expected results, Ubisoft had decided to dispatch the members of this team, not giving them the chance to produce a second game. A second title that could have “cannibalized” the long-term sales of the first (and we’re looking for logic here too). Making a second production profitable would have been all the easier with all the accumulated knowledge and assets already in place, but the axe fell.
It’s a decision that’s bound to be resented by employees, since most of the sources interviewed pointed to a fairly healthy production with a relatively small team for a Ubisoft game (80 to 100 employees at most), allowing for better dialogue. The team also included people from Beyond Good & Evil 2 production, who were able to work on a much more stable project.
This situation will inevitably bring to mind the case of the team in charge of Jusant at DON’T NOD, even if the two companies operate differently. A sad fate undoubtedly undeserved by this team, who nevertheless delivered a highly successful episode, acclaimed by those who were able to experience it.