In this current era of remakes running rampant throughout the gaming landscape, Ubisoft also joined in to reveal that it was working on a full reimagining of one of its most beloved titles withPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.Although fans had been clamoring for a new release in the series for over a decade,overall response to the firstSands of Time Remaketrailer was mixed.
Despite seeming like a faithful remake from a narrative perspective, the community did not respond kindly to the chosen art and graphical style for the new release, feeling it should be up to a much higher standard considering the franchise’s pedigree as well as Ubisoft’s resources.Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remakewas first delayed from January to March of 2021, until a recent delay from Ubisoft has pushed the title into the indefinite future.
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While this extended postponement of an already long anticipated title can be both disappointing and frustrating for fans, it indicates a positive change of pace forUbisoft’s approach to game designwhen examined from a larger perspective. To change what was once a delay by a few months to a release sometime in the future indicates a company not willing to rush a product just to meet a deadline, having passion for creativity as well as care for the well being of its many employees.
Slow and Steady
Nowadays, video games are big business, having reached a point to be recognized as a hugely profitable entertainment industry, withbig companies such as Activision, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft. The pressure of big business has likely impacted each company some way, which often means pushing games as much as possible, which is self-evident in more annualized-titles likeCall of Duty.
Even though Ubisoft seemed to embrace this business model better than most, they shocked the gaming landscape when the expected yearly release ofAssassin’s Creedtook a year off in 2016to allow the creative team more time to reinvent the franchise and provide a compelling gameplay experience. This resulted in 2017’sAssassin’s Creed Origins, which released to critical acclaim and was considered to be a fresh new take on the franchise. Even just a one year absence from a major franchise release proved to be hugely beneficial to Ubisoft in the long run, as thisnew stylistic approach toAssassin’s Creedhas reinvigorated interest in the series.
This new mindset has carried over to many of Ubisoft’s other well known franchises with delays being put forward in order to better enhance the final product.Ghost Recon Breakpointhas done so numerous times in order to maintain a certain quality standard, with many major updates and even aTerminator-themed eventbeing pushed ahead to guarantee that all aspects were functioning as intended upon release. Especially after its release state, focusing on quality post-launch is a big deal.
Crunch Time
A common concern within modern video game development is the amount of pressure it places on employees, especially in the crucial final months leading up to release. Fixing bugs, ironing out technical issues, and just ensuring that the game meets a certain quality standard can be an exhausting process, and it proves to be an unhealthy strain on both the physical and mental health of video game developers.
Just this past year, many high profile video game studios were met with backlash and controversy due to reports that projects were hitting excessive crunch time hours. Naughty Dog in particular was met with questioning when itscrunch time forThe Last of Us 2was reportedly reaching ludicrous numbers, compromising the health of its many team members.
Naturally, it is in everyone’s best interests (from both the studio and gamer perspective) that a video game reaches its best level of polish; however, this should not be placed as a higher priority than basic human decency and well being. Ubisoft’s choice to seemingly give thePrince of Persiateam as much time as neededis a great show of respect and appreciation for its employees, and hopefully sets an example that all studios will attempt to follow in the coming years.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remakeis in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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