Ubisoft’s January 2026 restructuring discontinued six games, gave seven others more development time, and named two studios for closure. The company did not disclose a resulting layoff total. It said some staff could be reassigned and some might leave as it reorganizes around five Creative Houses.
What Ubisoft announced
On January 21, 2026, after reviewing its content pipeline over December 2025 and January 2026, Ubisoft said it was refocusing its portfolio and revising its roadmap for the next three years. The company described a more selective market and rising development challenges as context for the changes.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | $19.72 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Renewed) | Buy on Amazon | |
| 3 |
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Prince of Persia: Sands of Time | $39.87 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Prince of Persia: The Sands Of Time | $9.00 | Buy on Amazon |
- Six games discontinued: the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, four unannounced games—including three new intellectual properties—and one mobile title.
- Seven games given more development time: Ubisoft did not name them in the announcement.
- Two studio closures named: Halifax’s mobile studio, which Ubisoft said had closed earlier in January, and the Stockholm studio.
- Three locations named for restructuring: Abu Dhabi, RedLynx, and Massive. These were not all described as studio closures.
The company did not identify the other five discontinued projects or the seven games receiving more time. It also did not announce a precise number of jobs affected.
Why Ubisoft canceled the Sands of Time remake
Ubisoft’s January 30 statement said the company could not reach the quality level it believed fans deserved, and that completing the remake would require more time and investment than it could responsibly commit. Those are Ubisoft’s stated reasons; the available statements do not provide an independent evaluation of the game’s quality.
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- Twists & turns abound in this adventure, more than you'll find in the royal palace itself. Use your logical thinking skills to solve the mindbenders you'll come across
- The Prince is well-trained and it shows - Use his great acrobatic skills & fighting moves to beat the dark shadows after him
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- Explore the massive landscapes of ancient Persia in this adventure of mythical proportions!
“We’ve made the difficult decision to stop development on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.”
The remake had a public development history. In a June 11, 2024 update, Ubisoft said the game had entered full production at Ubisoft Montreal, with support from Toronto, Bucharest, Paris, and Pune, and was then planned for release in 2026. That target was superseded by the January 2026 cancellation. Ubisoft said the decision did not mean it was leaving the Prince of Persia franchise.
Rank #2
- When a young prince discovers an ancient dagger, it leads to a great evil befalling his father's land. The only way to contain these dark powers is through the impossible feat of controlling the Sands Of Time. With no other choice, our hero aims to try. So begins a new adventure in the haunted, scorching sands of Persia.
- Twists & turns abound in this adventure, more than you'll find in the royal palace itself. Use your logical thinking skills to solve the mindbenders you'll come across
- The Prince is well-trained and it shows - Use his great acrobatic skills & fighting moves to beat the dark shadows after him
- Wield the power of the incredible Sands Of Time -- Erase past mistakes, view what you'll face in later levels, and stop time in the present
- Explore the massive landscapes of ancient Persia in this adventure of mythical proportions!
Which Ubisoft studios are closing, and what about layoffs?
Ubisoft named Halifax’s mobile studio and Stockholm for closure. Halifax had already closed earlier in January, according to the company’s January 21 release. The same announcement described restructuring at Abu Dhabi, RedLynx, and Massive, rather than labeling those locations as closures.
There is no verified layoff count in the announcement or contemporaneous reporting. VGC reported on January 21 that Ubisoft would not directly comment on how many layoffs might result. CFO Frederick Duguet said some people would be refocused on other major projects and some might leave the company. That describes possible workforce outcomes, not a confirmed headcount announcement.
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How Ubisoft’s five Creative Houses are organized
The new model groups game development and go-to-market functions into five Creative Houses. Ubisoft said each would be responsible for its portfolio from creative direction through publishing strategy and financial performance. The announcement describes their broad focuses as follows:
| Group | Stated focus |
|---|---|
| Vantage Studios | Ubisoft’s largest established franchises |
| Creative House focused on competitive and cooperative shooters | Competitive/cooperative shooters |
| Creative House focused on selected live experiences | Selected live experiences |
| Creative House focused on fantasy and narrative worlds | Fantasy and narrative worlds |
| Creative House focused on casual and family games | Casual/family games |
Two group-level organizations are intended to support the houses: the Creative Network for shared studio and production capabilities, and Core Services for technology, production, and operational support. Ubisoft said the structure is meant to move decisions closer to portfolios, improve accountability, and concentrate resources on strategic priorities; those are intended benefits, not demonstrated outcomes.
Rank #4
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- AC-3; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC
What the cost figures do—and do not—show
Ubisoft’s January release set out cost-reduction targets and accounting impacts. The amounts below are company figures or projections, not independently verified results:
| Figure | What Ubisoft said it represents |
|---|---|
| At least €100 million | Fixed-cost savings versus FY2024–25, targeted for completion by March 2026 |
| Additional €200 million | New fixed-cost reduction objective over two years |
| Around €500 million | Total fixed-cost reduction since FY2022–23, according to Ubisoft |
| Approximately €1.25 billion | Projected fixed costs on a run-rate basis by March 2028, compared with €1.75 billion in FY2022–23 |
| Approximately €650 million | One-off accelerated depreciation attributed to transformation decisions, including game cancellations and extended development schedules |
The €650 million figure is an accounting charge as Ubisoft presented it, not an estimate of the canceled games’ retail value. The release states targets and projections; it does not establish whether those targets were later achieved.
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Ubisoft’s announcements and the contemporaneous reporting do not name the other canceled projects or the seven games receiving extra development time, and they do not establish a total number of resulting layoffs. The company’s stated reason for stopping the remake is explicit, but it should not be conflated with the wider market pressures or restructuring rationale. The Guardian’s January 22 coverage described Ubisoft’s changes amid several years of weak results and difficult releases, and quoted CEO Yves Guillemot discussing a more selective, competitive AAA market and rising development costs; that context does not by itself prove a single cause for the remake’s cancellation.
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