Despite critical success, Ubisoft has disbanded the team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. A sequel was reportedly proposed but rejected so that the team can splinter off to help develop other projects.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team splits to aid in other projects
According to French journalist Gautoz’s sources at Ubisoft Montpellier, the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team has disbanded and will continue work on other Ubisoft projects. A summary on ResetEra from Arubedo states the game’s fate was decided just weeks after release and the teams time together would come to an end after releasing its DLC.
The summary also states that a few members proposed a Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown sequel, as well as a second expansion, but were denied both due to it not meeting sales expectations. It is also reported that the team was told from higher ups that releasing a sequel would cannibalize the long term sales of the initial release.
The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team were reportedly very proud of their work on the metroidvania. A translated post from Gautoz says three or four developers stated it was “the best production of my life.” It also said it was a “rehabilitation zone” for those burnt out on Beyond Good & Evil 2 development.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was revealed during Summer Game Fest 2023 and launched in January 2024. It was critically received favorably with an 86 on Metacritic. It also released DLC titled Mask of Darkness which introduced a new area to the game.
The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team’s disbandment is pretty odd considering it is one of Ubisoft’s more recent successes critically. From the outside looking in, it seemed like it wasn’t marketed as well as it could have. Not bringing the game to Steam at launch also seemed like a pretty big misstep for garnering sales. Along with the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake rebooting development, things aren’t looking to bright for the classic franchise.
