برچسب: development

  • After five tumultuous years, Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake is now “deep” in development

    After five tumultuous years, Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake is now “deep” in development



    It’s now been five years since Ubisoft’s beleaguered Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake was originally revealed, and a little over a year since the publisher last popped up to remind us all the project was still alive. But here we are again, 12 months on, with another brief update, this time letting fans know the remake remains “deep” in development.


    Ubisoft’s Sands of Time remake was initially unveiled back in September 2020, when it was expected to arrive in January the following year. However, after its announcement trailer was met with a less than positive reception, Ubisoft kicked off what would prove to be a succession of delays. Eventually, the project moved from its original developers Ubisoft Pune and Mumbai to Ubisoft Montreal, where it was seemingly rebooted from scratch, and last year brought the news it wouldn’t be ready for release until 2026.


    But while it seemed like Ubisoft might opt for radio silence until its remake was finally ready for its big re-reveal, the publisher has instead shared the briefest of updates today on social media, a little over a year since its last one. “Yep, we’re still deep in the game,” it wrote, “exploring, building, and ensuring the sands move with purpose.”

    Here’s what the Sands of Time remake looked like before it was rebooted from scratch.Watch on YouTube


    “This game is being crafted by a team that truly cares,” it continued, “and they’re pouring their hearts (and a lot of coffee) into every step. Thank you for sticking with us.” And that’s pretty much all we’re getting for now, aside from an accompanying bit of art showing a glass palace against a pink sky. Ubisoft also pointed fans in the direction of series spin-off The Rogue Prince of Persia, from Dead Cells studio Evil Empire, which is set to leave early access this August.


    Ubisoft’s Sands of Time remake woes have continued to a tumultuous few years for the publisher, which has faced tumbling share prices and a number of high-profile flops in recent times, resulting in a string of layoffs and studio closures. As part of its attempts to right the ship, Ubisoft announced it was launching a new subsidiary dedicated to its big three IPs – Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry – earlier this year. With those game under a new banner, Ubisoft itself will concentrate on a number of key areas, including “nurturing the development of iconic franchises”, including – presumably – Prince of Persia.



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  • Rapid-fire RTS game Battle Aces is no more as studio ends development

    Rapid-fire RTS game Battle Aces is no more as studio ends development


    It’s always heart-breaking to see a promising new multiplayer game scrapped, but it’s even sadder still to see one wrap up development before it even fully launches. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s happened to Battle Aces – an RTS game aiming to deliver super-fast 1v1 and 2v2 matches while still boasting plenty of strategic depth. Despite its promising premise, and the fact that it has a former Starcraft dev as a game director, Battle Aces has reached the end of its journey.

    The debut project from Uncapped Games, Battle Aces certainly generated a lot of initial interest among RTS game lovers. First, it had David Kim at the helm – a Blizzard veteran who served as senior game designer on Starcraft 2 for roughly a decade. Secondly, it aimed to break new ground by offering more accessible, rapid multiplayer matches versus the lengthy slogs you can often become embroiled in. It’s been playable already thanks to some early betas, and it looked to be coming along nicely. However, Uncapped says that it can’t see a successful route forward for its ambitious project.

    “Today, with deep regret, we are announcing that development on Battle Aces has come to an end,” a statement posted by Uncapped reads. “Creating Battle Aces has been tremendously rewarding and we are grateful for the passion and support from our community. Unfortunately, the returns from early testing were not strong enough to support continued development.

    “This decision was not made lightly. Battle Aces represented a bold vision — our attempt to reimagine real-time strategy for a new generation. We set out to create something fast, tactical, and approachable, while still delivering the depth that makes RTS special. Every step of the way, from internal playtests to closed betas, we were fueled by your enthusiasm, feedback, and support.”

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    The statement doesn’t mention what the future holds for the studio. My fear is that layoffs may follow if it doesn’t have enough funding to spin up a new project post-Battle Aces. If it does, then maybe we’ll see a new strategy game from Kim and the team in the future.

    It is a real shame that Battle Aces won’t even get a shot in early access, but in a world where ambitious, big-budget multiplayer games can quickly nosedive into an unprofitable state after launching, this appears to just be a case of Uncapped cutting its losses and not taking the gamble. However, there are still plenty of great free PC games out there that you can enjoy right now and that have bright futures ahead.

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