The gaming community just received a bittersweet gift from the internet’s darker corners. Complete slides from Ubisoft Montreal’s early 2024 internal workshop presentation for the canceled Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake have leaked online, mere weeks after Ubisoft officially axed the project on January 21, 2026. These aren’t just screenshots – they’re the full presentation materials showing what could have been a stunning modernization of the 2003 classic.
The leak surfaced on January 27, 2026, when someone posted an hour-long screen recording of the workshop to YouTube. Ubisoft quickly issued copyright strikes, but not before fans captured and shared dozens of slides featuring gorgeous concept art, detailed development goals, mocap footage, and alpha build screenshots. The presentation was created to gather feedback from focus groups when the game was still in pre-alpha.
The Leaked Presentation Breakdown
The slides reveal Ubisoft’s ambitious vision to honor the original while delivering modern upgrades. Concept art shows a 19-year-old Prince – aged up from the original – with mature facial animations and fluid parkour that preserves the iconic wall-running. Most dramatically, Farah gets a complete character overhaul from damsel-in-distress to cold-hearted, graceful archer who’s the Maharajah’s eldest child and the Prince’s combat equal.
Technical slides detail ray-traced lighting, 4K/60fps targets, improved Dagger of Time physics, and new time powers like freezing enemies. The team planned two entirely new locations inspired by original cut content, expanded hub areas with extra platforming challenges, and dynamic weather affecting puzzles. Combat would replace the original’s clunky swordplay with acrobatic combos, parries, contextual finishers, and sand-powered melee attacks.
Co-op sequences suggest tandem combat where players control both characters during key battles. The slides show mocap sessions with actors performing these sequences, indicating significant progress on animation before cancellation. Internal benchmarks reveal struggles hitting performance targets even at reduced resolutions, a recurring theme throughout development.
Development Hell Documented
These slides lay bare why the remake failed. Progress charts show the project was significantly behind schedule by Q1 2024, having entered full production in 2021 only to restart completely in 2023 when transferred from Ubisoft Pune/Mumbai to Montreal. This reset wiped out years of progress, putting the game back in ‘conception phase.’
Scope creep emerges as the main villain. Slides document constantly expanding features – more enemy types, destructible environments, additional dagger abilities – that overwhelmed the team. Staffing issues compounded problems, with high animator turnover and key combat designers leaving for competitors. Conflicting feedback between studios created design whiplash, with Assassin’s Creed teams pushing open-world elements against core team’s desire for tight level design.
The presentation’s creation itself reveals desperation. By early 2024, Ubisoft needed external validation that the restart was working, hence the focus group workshop. Internal projections showed 18-24 more months just to reach alpha, making the repeatedly promised 2026 launch impossible.
Gorgeous Art That Never Was
The concept art stands out as the leak’s highlight. One slide shows the Prince mid-wall-run through the Maharaja’s palace with golden light streaming through ornate windows – capturing exactly why fans love the original. Another depicts Farah loosing arrows while the Prince parries overhead strikes in tandem combat. Environmental pieces reveal expanded interiors with destructible elements and new platforming paths through collapsing bridges during sandstorms.
Character turnaround sheets detail the Prince’s redesigned outfit with individual chain links and fabric folds, balanced between realistic proportions and Persian stylized architecture. The slides aimed for visual fidelity to the original while meeting modern animation standards. These images suggest the remake could have been spectacular had development succeeded.
Ubisoft’s Remake Curse
This leak contextualizes Ubisoft’s remake struggles. The slides reference lessons from Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s success returning to simpler design after open-world bloat. Yet Sands of Time tried modernizing combat too aggressively while preserving every original mechanic, creating technical nightmares. One slide compares scope to Capcom’s successful Battle Network remake, noting how they stayed faithful with quality-of-life upgrades rather than total overhauls.
The presentation reveals Ubisoft’s impossible standards. Targeting 4K/60fps with ray tracing on 2020 hardware proved unrealistic as features ballooned. Recent corporate restructuring prioritized high-revenue franchises like Assassin’s Creed and the Star Wars live-service game, making Sands of Time a luxury the company couldn’t afford after years of sunk costs.
Impact on Prince of Persia Franchise
Despite the remake’s death, Prince of Persia lives. Ubisoft’s recent Rogue Prince of Persia early access release earned strong reviews, proving the franchise remains viable without massive budgets. These leaked slides preserve Sands legacy through stunning artwork and serve as reference for future projects.
The documents also highlight mocap actor frustration. Eman Ayaz, who hinted at her involvement, shot marketing material just two months before cancellation and expressed devastation over lost work. The slides confirm her performance captured in mocap sessions that now gather digital dust.
Industry-Wide Implications
These leaks expose remake pitfalls across gaming. Balancing preservation with innovation proves brutally difficult. The slides show Ubisoft grappling with fan expectations for faithful recreations while meeting modern technical bars and monetization demands. Similar struggles plague other high-profile remakes like Metal Gear Solid 3 and Silent Hill 2.
The leak timing – just after cancellation – suggests internal documents circulating among disgruntled employees or focus group attendees. Ubisoft’s aggressive takedown efforts indicate embarrassment over wasted resources more than competitive damage, as the pre-alpha state revealed little proprietary tech.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly leaked from the Prince of Persia remake?
Complete slides from Ubisoft Montreal’s early 2024 workshop presentation, including concept art, development goals, mocap footage, alpha screenshots, technical targets, and progress reports for the canceled Sands of Time remake.
Why was the remake canceled?
Endless delays, scope creep, missed technical targets (4K/60fps), complete 2023 restart after studio switch, high costs, and corporate reprioritization toward Assassin’s Creed and Star Wars projects.
When did development start and restart?
Announced 2020, full production 2021 at Ubisoft Pune/Mumbai, complete restart 2023 at Montreal. By early 2024 (leak date), still pre-alpha despite years of work.
What major changes were planned?
19-year-old Prince, badass archer Farah as combat partner, new time powers (freeze enemies), expanded locations, acrobatic combat overhaul, ray tracing, tandem co-op sequences, dynamic weather puzzles.
Is Prince of Persia dead?
No. Rogue Prince of Persia early access succeeded recently. Franchise viable, just not this troubled remake after massive resource burn.
Could the remake be revived elsewhere?
Extremely unlikely. Years of sunk costs with pre-alpha results make economic sense impossible. Leaked slides preserve the vision without need for revival.
How does this compare to other remake leaks?
Most complete internal documents leaked, not just footage. Reveals full development thinking rather than visual snippets, making it unusually comprehensive postmortem.
Will Ubisoft face consequences from the leak?
Leaker violated NDA, but documents show embarrassing failure more than competitive secrets. Ubisoft prioritizes takedowns for reputation over legal pursuit.
What’s the biggest lesson from these slides?
Remakes fail when trying everything – preserve original faithfully AND add modern systems. Successful remakes (Battle Network) focus narrowly on quality-of-life upgrades.
A Beautiful Ghost
These leaked slides immortalize a troubled dream. The concept art captures Sands of Time magic that captivated gamers in 2003. Stunning palace interiors, acrobatic combat visions, and reimagined Farah showcase talent wasted on impossible scope. They stand as both postmortem of remake pitfalls and artistic testament to what passionate developers envisioned before corporate reality intervened.
For Prince of Persia fans, bittersweet closure. The industry moves forward with Rogue Prince of Persia success, while these slides ensure Sands remake lives eternally in digital archaeological record – gorgeous, ambitious, ultimately unmade.