Ubisoft Faces the Consequences of a Difficult Few Years

Over the past few years, Ubisoft has struggled to maintain momentum as one of the industry’s largest publishers. Several high-profile releases expected to drive significant revenue failed to meet internal expectations, including Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

Those underperforming releases have placed mounting pressure on Ubisoft’s leadership to rethink how the company operates at scale. That process began with the formation of Vantage Studios and has now expanded into a far broader structural overhaul.

Unfortunately, this shift has also resulted in the cancellation of multiple projects, including the long-delayed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.

Major Restructuring Leads to Cancellations and Layoffs

Ubisoft has officially confirmed a sweeping restructuring and reorganisation effort that will lead to layoffs, studio changes, and the cancellation of several video game projects. While the publisher has not yet disclosed the full scope of job losses, it has acknowledged that further studio closures may follow recent shutdowns in Halifax and Stockholm.

As part of this process, Ubisoft has confirmed that six projects have been cancelled outright. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is among those affected, bringing an end to a project that has faced repeated delays and restarts since its original announcement. Another cancelled title was reportedly a mobile game that Ubisoft stated failed to meet its internal quality benchmarks.

The company has not yet named the remaining cancelled projects, leaving uncertainty around other teams currently in development.

Ubisoft Introduces Its Creative House Model

Central to Ubisoft’s restructuring is the expansion of its internal Creative House strategy. Building on the Vantage Studios model, Ubisoft plans to organise its development teams into multiple Creative Houses, each responsible for specific genres and franchises, as well as their own financial performance.

Five Creative Houses have been outlined so far. Vantage Studios will serve as Creative House 1, focused on Ubisoft’s largest revenue drivers with the stated goal of achieving billion-dollar annual returns. This group will oversee franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six.

Creative House 2 will concentrate on competitive and cooperative shooter experiences, managing franchises including The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. Creative House 3 will focus on selected live service titles such as For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, Brawlhalla, and Skull and Bones.

Creative House 4 will be dedicated to immersive, narrative-driven fantasy worlds, overseeing franchises including Anno, Might & Magic, Rayman, Prince of Persia, and Beyond Good & Evil. Creative House 5 will aim to strengthen Ubisoft’s position in the casual and family-friendly market, covering titles such as Just Dance, Idle Miner Tycoon, Ketchapp, Hungry Shark, Invincible: Guarding the Globe, Uno, and various Hasbro licensed titles.

Delays, New IPs, and What Comes Next

Despite cancelling six projects, Ubisoft has stated that at least seven games remain in active development. To improve overall quality and reduce risk at launch, all of these projects will receive extended development timelines. As a result, games previously scheduled for release during fiscal year 2026 have now been pushed into fiscal year 2027.

Ubisoft also confirmed it is developing at least four new intellectual properties. Among them is March of Giants, a project recently acquired from Amazon, though further details on these new IPs and their assigned Creative Houses have yet to be revealed.

The company has framed this restructuring as a necessary step toward building a more focused, efficient, and sustainable organisation. For players, however, the immediate impact is clear: fewer projects, longer waits, and the loss of one of the company’s most anticipated remakes.