Sands of Time Remake Cancelled: Why Ubisoft Let a "Finish Line" Project Drown

Ubisoft killed a Sands of Time remake that was "close to the finish line"—then explained why finishing might have been worse than cutting their losses.

SocramVelmar, Ubisoft’s VP of Communications, acknowledged the project’s status:

"it was close to the finish line"

but added,

"Because close doesn't always mean ready, Sometimes leadership decides stopping the bleeding is cheaper than releasing something they're not confident in."

This aligns with Ubisoft’s recent shift toward large, open-world experiences, as Velmar noted:

"There's been a big push toward large, open-world experiences."

The cancellation occurred alongside six other projects and followed a 14-year low in the company’s stock price. While the remake’s mechanics:

"You weren't fixing errors, you were cooperating with time itself"

Were praised, the corporate calculus ultimately prevailed.