The team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is rumored to have been disbanded by Ubisoft after the game had an underwhelming performance.
The rumors started to spread following a report that claims the news was made by French media outlet Origami. It posted a video saying that the team responsible for the game was disbanded despite their generally positive experiences while making it.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
French journalist Gauthier Andres said that he repeatedly heard and read that developers had an amazing time working in game production for the game.
He was apparently told that they saw it as a beacon of hope for a safe space for people who were burnt out by Beyond Good & Evil 2.
It also went on to say that the fate of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was effectively decided only a few weeks after it launched. It seems like the core development team behind the game did what they could to get a sequel or expansions approved, according to IGN.
However, it was said that Ubisoft wanted to get more manpower to work on other projects that had better sales potential. The report also claimed that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown did not meet the company's expectations.
It was also rumored that executives expressed their concerns that a sequel for the game would only cannibalize long-term sales of the first title. So far, it remains unclear what the status of the game's development team currently is.
Ubisoft apparently made it clear that support for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown would end after the release of DLC and cosmetics. The rumors have not yet officially been confirmed and the reports are still being verified, Insider Gaming said.
Not Meeting Internal Expectations
Based on a January report, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown sold around 300,000 copies. The game received critical acclaim from critics and fans. The Metroidvania was praised for its smooth-flowing platforming mechanics and challenging combat system.
The decision to disband the team behind the game, if true, marks another downtrend for Ubisoft following several commercial failures. The company has also been suffering from falling share prices that are shaking up executives.
Employees at Ubisoft Montpellier and other first-party studios joined a strike that was held last week. They joined forces in order to protest a new return-to-office (ROT) policy by the company that requires them to come in at least three days a week, according to The Gamer.
