The team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has been disbanded, according to a report from French media outlet Origami.
In a video posted today in French (for which IGN has independently verified a translation posted on ResetEra), Origami reports that the team behind The Lost Crown was disbanded despite seemingly positive reports from developers on their experiences working on the game.
Per a tweet by Gauthier Andres: "I've heard and read 'It was the best game production in my entire life' three or four times in a single weekend while getting information on the game's development. One after the other I was told it was seen as a beacon of hope to create a safe space for people that were burnt out by Beyond Good & Evil 2. The team has been disbanded by Ubisoft."
J'ai entendu ou lu "la meilleure prod' de ma vie" trois ou quatre fois en un week-end à propos du développement de PoP The Lost Crown. Tour à tour espoir d'une autre manière de créer et zone de réhabilitation pour gens crâmés par BGE2, l'équipe a été dissoute par Ubisoft. https://t.co/FFz9cfm4xj
— Gautoz (@gautoz) October 22, 2024
The video also states that the game's fate was effectively decided just a few weeks after its release. The core game development team reportedly fought to get a sequel or at least more expansions beyond the single "Mask of Darkness" expansion, but Ubisoft allegedly needed more help on other projects that had better sales potential. Per the report, The Lost Crown did not meet Ubisoft's sales expectations, and executives expressed concerns that a sequel would cannibalize long-term sales of the first game.
It is unclear from the report exactly what the status of the members of the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team is at this time. The game was developed at Ubisoft Montpellier, which employs hundreds of individuals and was last known to be working on the infinitely-in-limbo Beyond Good and Evil 2. It's likely that team members were, as was suggested by the report, moved onto other projects such as that, but IGN has reached out to Ubisoft for further clarity.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown's reported fate, if true, is a tragic one given how excellent the game is. We gave it an 8/10 in our review, saying it "captures not only what made games such as The Sands of Time so good, but it irons out a lot of the little issues that plagued the 3D games in this series by opting for a 2D perspective – and owning it."
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
