Why did Ubisoft ship Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown out to die?

Normally, round this time of 12 months, I’m considering again on a few of my favourite video games of the earlier 12 months and prepping for Recreation of the Yr conversations. As an alternative, I’ve spent this week being pissed off that one in all my absolute favourite video games of 2024 simply had its improvement workforce scattered to the 4 winds. 2024 isn’t even over but, and Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown has apparently been written off by Ubisoft higher-ups.

Abdelhak Elguess, the sport’s senior producer, informed Eurogamer on Wednesday that “a lot of the workforce members who labored on Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown have shifted to different tasks that may profit from their experience.” And based on Insider Gaming, these tasks allegedly are a Rayman recreation, the following Ghost Recon recreation, and Past Good and Evil 2 (which has been in improvement hell because it was first introduced in 2008 — that’s proper, 2008).

That’s regardless of The Misplaced Crown workforce pitching a sequel that will have saved all of them collectively. Once more, based on Insider Gaming’s similar report, that sequel was rejected because of the recreation lagging behind on gross sales expectations.

The Misplaced Crown, a crisp 2D Metroidvania with fluid fight, a cool story, and super-adjustable problem settings, wasn’t only a important darling right here at gamerlifemedia. It’s bought an 86 on Metacritic and “Very Optimistic” evaluations on Steam. The sport reportedly bought a million copies, however apparently, that wasn’t sufficient. (Ominous information for Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws, which has additionally solely bought a million.)

Whose fault is it if the sport didn’t promote nicely? Certainly not the builders of The Misplaced Crown, which once more, was critically acclaimed and beloved by most of the individuals who did play it. That seems like a advertising drawback, not a improvement drawback. So why cut up up a workforce of people that created one thing nice already? Constructing a cohesive, profitable workforce is extraordinarily difficult. If Ubisoft decision-makers didn’t need that workforce to work on one other Prince of Persia recreation, superb — however why not assign the workforce to a brand new venture, whereas retaining all of them collectively?

Baldur’s Gate 3 exec Michael Douse appears to agree. Douse wrote a thread on X (previously Twitter) about Ubisoft management having failed The Misplaced Crown, and particularly, the truth that the sport wasn’t launched on Steam till August of this 12 months. “If it had launched on Steam,” he wrote, “not solely wouldn’t it have been a market success, however there would doubtless be a sequel as a result of the workforce are so sturdy. It’s such a damaged technique. The toughest factor is to make a 85+ [on Metacritic] recreation — it’s a lot, a lot simpler to launch one. It simply shouldn’t be finished because it was.

“If the assertion ‘avid gamers ought to get used to not proudly owning their video games’ is true due to a particular launch technique (sub above gross sales),” he continued, “then the assertion ‘builders should get used to not having jobs in the event that they make a critically acclaimed recreation’ (platform technique above title gross sales) can be true, and that simply isn’t smart — even from a enterprise perspective.”

I’m undecided whether or not an earlier Steam launch would have made a distinction for The Misplaced Crown or not, however I do know that placing out a recreation in early January is a bizarre transfer. Only a few main video games come out in that point interval; I might guess that’s as a result of most individuals are busy taking part in no matter video games they acquired as items over the vacations, and in case you can’t handle to place out a recreation earlier than the vacation season, you’ll be climbing uphill to get mainstream consideration on it.

Or possibly it was the shadow of the Sands of Time remake, additionally in improvement hell, that led individuals to be turned off by a unique Prince of Persia recreation. In any case, The Misplaced Crown doesn’t star the Prince, so if that’s what gamers wished, they might not have given this recreation an opportunity. Or, in searching for different explanations, some would possibly look to the pile-up of racist feedback on the primary reveal trailer for this recreation, which debuted its Black, non-Prince protagonist with an unique hip-hop music. It’s arduous to say how a lot bigots have an effect on gross sales; there’s not sufficient knowledge on that. However I’ll say, as anyone who loved the trailer’s music and vibe, I gotta admit — that trailer doesn’t actually match the online game. The sport’s soundtrack additionally owns, nevertheless it has a really completely different soundscape that meshes each modern and historic musical influences. It seems like nobody at Ubisoft might work out the right way to promote this recreation, which is silly and irritating, as a result of it’s extremely good.

Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown deserved higher. Its workforce of builders deserved one other probability to maintain making cool video games collectively. In order we enter GOTY season, nicely, I’m going to maintain on being indignant about this.