It has been over five years. Five years since Ubisoft [finance:Ubisoft Entertainment SA] first announced the Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake in September 2020 with a January 2021 release date. That date came and went. Then March 2021. Then late 2021. Then 2022. Then silence. Now Insider Gaming reports the remake is finally scheduled to launch in mid-January 2026, with sources believing a reveal and concrete release date will come at The Game Awards on December 11, 2025.
If accurate, this represents the light at the end of an incredibly long and painful tunnel for one of gaming’s most troubled modern remakes. The project has been delayed repeatedly, switched development studios entirely, been rebuilt from scratch, and disappeared for years at a time with barely any communication beyond vague quarterly update mentions. For fans who have been waiting since 2020 to revisit the beloved 2003 classic, January 2026 seems simultaneously too far away and miraculously close given the remake’s cursed history.
The Report Details
According to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, the Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake is scheduled to release in mid-January 2026. Henderson has a strong track record with Ubisoft leaks, lending credibility to the report despite no official confirmation yet. The narrow timeframe of mid-January rather than just Q1 2026 suggests the information comes from sources with actual knowledge of release planning rather than educated guesses.
The report claims the remake will launch before the heavily rumored Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remake, which itself is supposedly releasing within the next four months. This creates a compressed release schedule for two major Ubisoft remakes, both of which have faced development troubles. Black Flag’s remake hasn’t been officially announced despite constant leaks, while Sands of Time was announced five years ago and still hasn’t shown real gameplay.
Sources believe the next substantial look at Sands of Time will happen at The Game Awards on December 11, 2025. This timing makes sense given Ubisoft’s previous pattern of using major gaming events for announcements, though the company has been notably absent from recent showcases. If the Game Awards reveal happens, fans will finally see what Ubisoft Montreal has been building after years of radio silence.
Ubisoft’s Fiscal Year Confirmation
The January 2026 timeframe aligns with Ubisoft’s latest earnings report, which lists the Sands of Time Remake as one of four titles scheduled for Q4 of the company’s 2025-2026 fiscal year. That quarter runs from January 1 through March 31, 2026. The other three titles include Rainbow Six Mobile, The Division Resurgence, and an unannounced title widely speculated to be the Black Flag Remake.
Ubisoft previously hinted the remake would be part of fiscal 2026 net bookings but refused to provide specific dates. The Q4 window represents the narrowest official timeframe yet, though still a three-month span. Henderson’s mid-January claim narrows it further to a specific two-week period, suggesting actual release planning rather than just fiscal projections.
Five Years of Development Hell
To understand why this news matters, you need to understand the nightmare journey this remake has endured. Ubisoft announced the Sands of Time Remake in September 2020 with a CGI teaser and January 2021 release date. The reveal trailer drew immediate criticism for its visual quality, which looked significantly worse than what fans expected from a modern remake of a beloved classic.
The negative reception prompted the first delay to March 2021. That date came and went with another delay to late 2021 with no specific date given. In February 2021, the project was delayed again indefinitely. Development was originally led by Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai in India, marking one of the studio’s first major projects as lead developer rather than support.
In May 2022, Ubisoft announced the remake was being reassigned to Ubisoft Montreal, the studio behind the original 2003 game. More significantly, the company revealed that development was essentially starting from scratch. The version built by the Indian studios was being abandoned entirely, with Montreal beginning the conception phase again. This meant years of work were thrown away.
Why It Failed Initially
Reports from the development suggest multiple factors doomed the initial version. The Indian studios were forced to use Ubisoft’s Anvil Engine based on Assassin’s Creed Origins rather than the Jade engine used for the original Sands of Time. Management reportedly forced them to retrofit the Prince’s animations, designed for a lean lanky character, onto animation rigs meant for Assassin’s Creed Origins protagonist Bayek who has a stockier heavyset frame.
This technical constraint created fundamental problems with how the Prince moved and felt to control, undermining the fluid parkour and combat that defined the original. Combined with the visual downgrade compared to expectations and general inexperience leading such a high-profile remake, the project spiraled beyond recovery. Rather than continuing to polish a flawed foundation, Ubisoft made the difficult decision to start over entirely.
June 2022 saw pre-orders being cancelled, signaling to fans that something had gone catastrophically wrong. The game that was supposed to launch 18 months earlier was now back at square one with no release date and minimal communication about what happened or what comes next. For over a year afterward, Ubisoft said virtually nothing about the remake’s status.
The Long Silence
From mid-2022 through mid-2024, Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake essentially vanished. Ubisoft would occasionally mention it existed in quarterly earnings calls with vague statements about the project progressing, but provided no screenshots, no gameplay footage, no trailers, nothing substantive for fans desperate for updates. The silence fueled speculation that the remake had been quietly cancelled despite Ubisoft’s denials.
At Summer Game Fest 2024, Ubisoft finally broke the silence with a 30-second teaser showing a candle and announcing a 2026 release window. That’s it. A candle. No gameplay. No screenshots. No details about what Ubisoft Montreal was building or how it differed from the cancelled version. Just a candle and a year. For fans who had been waiting four years at that point, it was simultaneously reassuring the project still existed and frustrating in its complete lack of substance.
In June 2025, after the remake was again absent from Summer Game Fest, Ubisoft released another statement assuring fans the project was in deep development and still on track for 2026. These updates felt increasingly like damage control, addressing concerns that silence was indicating trouble rather than proactively building excitement through meaningful reveals.
Why the Secrecy
Ubisoft’s reluctance to show anything substantial likely stems from the disastrous 2020 reveal. That trailer generated such negative reaction that it derailed the entire project. The company doesn’t want to repeat that mistake by showing work-in-progress footage that doesn’t represent final quality. Better to wait until the remake is genuinely ready to impress rather than invite criticism on unfinished work.
The complete development restart also means Ubisoft Montreal needed substantial time to build their version from conception through production. Starting over in 2022 and targeting late 2025 or early 2026 represents a compressed timeline for a project of this scope. Showing the game too early would reveal how unfinished it was, undermining confidence that the 2026 date was realistic.
The Game Awards Reveal
If Henderson’s sources are correct about a Game Awards reveal on December 11, that represents perfect timing. The event reaches massive audiences, provides a prestigious stage for major announcements, and lands just weeks before the rumored mid-January release window. A reveal trailer, gameplay demonstration, and concrete release date would build maximum hype with minimum time between announcement and launch.
This compressed marketing cycle mirrors how some publishers handle troubled projects. Rather than building hype for months or years risking further delays undermining confidence, they announce close to release when the product is actually finished and ready to ship. Cyberpunk 2077’s disastrous launch taught the industry that long marketing cycles for games that aren’t ready creates unrealistic expectations and enormous backlash.
The Game Awards appearance would also give Ubisoft a clean narrative reset. Rather than dwelling on five years of delays and restarts, the company can present the remake as a near-complete product finally ready for players. Fresh footage showcasing what Montreal built replaces memories of the 2020 trailer disaster. The conversation shifts from will this ever release to when can I play this.
What We Might See
Assuming the Game Awards reveal happens, expect a trailer showcasing the Prince’s movement and combat, environmental traversal through the Sultan’s palace, and possibly the time rewind mechanic that defined the original. Ubisoft needs to prove this remake captures what made Sands of Time beloved while modernizing visuals and controls for contemporary audiences. Anything less invites direct comparisons to the cancelled 2020 version.
A release date announcement seems guaranteed if the January window is accurate. Vague 2026 no longer cuts it after five years of delays. Fans need a specific date to actually believe this is finally happening. Pre-orders will likely open immediately following the reveal, giving Ubisoft concrete metrics about consumer interest and confidence in the project.
What Happened to Prince of Persia
The Sands of Time Remake’s troubles reflect broader challenges facing the Prince of Persia franchise. The property peaked in the mid-2000s with the Sands of Time trilogy before the 2008 reboot attempted a radical art style shift that divided fans. The 2010 Forgotten Sands launched alongside the movie but failed to recapture the trilogy’s magic. Since then, Prince of Persia has been dormant aside from mobile games.
Ubisoft clearly wants to revive the franchise, evidenced by announcing this remake and releasing Prince of Persia The Lost Crown in January 2024. The Lost Crown, a 2D Metroidvania developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, received critical acclaim for its tight combat and level design. It proved Prince of Persia still resonates with audiences when executed properly, though sales reportedly underperformed Ubisoft’s expectations.
The franchise exists in an awkward position where it’s too valuable to abandon but too niche compared to Assassin’s Creed to justify massive AAA budgets. The Sands of Time Remake represents a relatively safe bet, repackaging a beloved classic rather than risking original content. If successful, it could greenlight further entries. If it fails after all this development turmoil, Prince of Persia might go dormant again for years.
The Assassin’s Creed Problem
Prince of Persia’s struggles connect directly to Assassin’s Creed’s dominance within Ubisoft. When the first Assassin’s Creed launched in 2007, it was essentially a spiritual successor to Prince of Persia with parkour traversal, historical settings, and third-person action combat. The franchise exploded into a billion-dollar property that now defines Ubisoft’s identity.
This success made reviving Prince of Persia challenging. Why invest heavily in a dormant franchise when Assassin’s Creed delivers similar gameplay with guaranteed sales? The Lost Crown’s 2D approach and this remake’s attempt to capitalize on nostalgia represent strategies to differentiate Prince of Persia from Assassin’s Creed rather than compete directly. Whether that’s enough remains uncertain.
Can Ubisoft Deliver
Five years of delays and complete development restarts don’t inspire confidence, but Ubisoft Montreal’s pedigree offers hope. The studio created the original Sands of Time in 2003 and understands what made it special. They have institutional knowledge and talent that Pune and Mumbai, despite their best efforts, couldn’t match given their relative inexperience leading major projects.
Ubisoft’s recent track record with remakes and remasters is mixed. The Splinter Cell remake announced in 2021 remains missing in action with no release window. The recently released Assassin’s Creed Mirage, while not technically a remake, demonstrated Ubisoft can return to older design philosophies successfully when committed. The question is whether Montreal received adequate time and resources to deliver quality or if they’re also crunching to hit impossible deadlines.
The January 2026 window would represent roughly four years from when Montreal took over in 2022. That’s reasonable for a remake of this scope, though starting from scratch means they couldn’t leverage much from the cancelled version’s work. Modern game development timelines suggest four years is tight but achievable if the project was properly scoped and managed, two things that clearly didn’t happen the first time.
FAQs
When does Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake release?
According to Insider Gaming, the remake is scheduled for mid-January 2026. Ubisoft’s fiscal report confirms a Q4 fiscal 2026 window, which runs January through March 2026. No official release date has been announced yet.
Will Prince of Persia be shown at The Game Awards?
Insider Gaming’s sources believe the remake will be revealed at The Game Awards on December 11, 2025 with a trailer and concrete release date announcement. This hasn’t been confirmed by Ubisoft yet.
Why has Prince of Persia Remake been delayed so long?
The remake was originally scheduled for January 2021 but faced multiple delays due to poor initial reception. In 2022, Ubisoft reassigned development from Ubisoft Pune and Mumbai to Ubisoft Montreal, essentially restarting development from scratch.
Who is developing the Prince of Persia Remake?
Ubisoft Montreal is currently leading development. The studio created the original 2003 Sands of Time. Development originally started at Ubisoft Pune and Mumbai before being reassigned in 2022.
What platforms will Prince of Persia Remake be on?
Ubisoft hasn’t officially confirmed platforms, but the remake will likely launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. A PS4 and Xbox One version seems unlikely given the extended development time and current-gen focus.
What happened to the original remake announcement?
The September 2020 announcement trailer received overwhelmingly negative reactions to its visual quality. Multiple delays followed before Ubisoft scrapped that version entirely in 2022 and started over with a different development team.
Will the remake use the original game engine?
The original used the Jade engine. The cancelled version used Anvil engine based on Assassin’s Creed Origins. What engine Ubisoft Montreal is using for the current version hasn’t been officially revealed.
Has any footage been shown of the new version?
No. The only thing shown since Ubisoft Montreal took over is a 30-second teaser from Summer Game Fest 2024 featuring a candle and the 2026 release window. No gameplay or screenshots have been released.
Conclusion
The Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake has endured one of the most troubled development cycles in modern gaming. Five years since announcement, multiple delays, complete development restarts, studio changes, and years of silence have tested fans’ patience to breaking points. If Insider Gaming’s report proves accurate, that long nightmare finally ends in mid-January 2026 with a reveal likely coming at The Game Awards on December 11. Whether Ubisoft Montreal can deliver a remake worthy of the wait remains the billion-dollar question. The studio has pedigree and institutional knowledge from creating the original, but the compressed timeline and lack of any substantial footage shown publicly suggests the project may still face challenges. Four years from taking over to shipping represents reasonable development time, though starting from scratch means they couldn’t leverage previous work. At this point, fans just want to know the remake exists as a real playable product rather than an announcement that keeps getting delayed. January 2026 is close enough to believe and far enough away to worry about another delay. But if The Game Awards reveal happens with actual gameplay and a firm release date, the conversation finally shifts from will this ever release to what did they build during all that time in development hell. For a franchise that has been dormant for years aside from one well-received Metroidvania, the Sands of Time Remake represents Prince of Persia’s best shot at relevance. Ubisoft knows this. Montreal knows this. After five years of waiting, fans know this. Now everyone just needs to see if they can actually deliver.