“Breathtaking” Leaked Pre Alpha Images of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake Twist the Knife for Fans Still Processing Ubisoft’s Cancellation
Ubisoft’s recent reset has already been disruptive enough on its own, but the timing of new leaks is making the situation even more painful for Prince of Persia fans who were still holding out hope. If you rewind to January 2025, the idea of Ubisoft going through a major restructuring would not have sounded impossible. What would have sounded far less believable is that the company would ultimately cancel the long awaited Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake while projects like Beyond Good and Evil 2 remained in production. Yet that is exactly where the industry has landed.
Shortly after the reset announcement, the official Prince of Persia account on X published a statement explaining the decision in blunt terms, saying the project did not meet Ubisoft’s newly enforced enhanced quality standards. The message framed the cancellation as a quality and resourcing call, stating that while the remake had real potential, the team could not reach the level of quality players deserved, and that continuing would have required more time and investment than Ubisoft could responsibly commit. The statement also attempted to soften the blow by insisting the publisher is not stepping away from the franchise.
Now, as Ubisoft continues to face internal pressure, including more layoffs on the horizon and union criticism aimed at leadership, a leaked workshop presentation has reopened the wound. The leaked material reportedly showcased an early 2024 pre alpha build of the remake, and it immediately triggered a wave of renewed frustration across the community.
The workshop presentation was first surfaced on Reddit before being taken down after a copyright claim, which is not unusual when internal material escapes into the wild. Even so, the removal came too late to stop the images from spreading.
Reddit leak thread
Soon after, X user princeozzyX, also known as Prince of Persia Universe, compiled the key images and in game screencaps into a more shareable set, and the fan response was immediate. Some called the visuals breathtaking, others described the build as beautiful even in an unfinished state, and many admitted the leak made them even more upset about the project being shelved.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake – the full workshop presentation 2024 was leaked on YouTube yesterday!
— Prince of Persia Universe (@princeozzyX) January 27, 2026
I’ve put together some of what was shown during the conference — everything looks absolutely beautiful!😩😍
(Pre-Alpha, Early 2024)
Soundtrack is from the remake! pic.twitter.com/3BDRlFlgHJ
The emotional reaction is understandable, but it is worth separating what the images prove from what they do not. Leaked screenshots can show artistic direction, lighting work, environment density, character styling, and UI intent. They rarely reveal production reality: schedule health, technical debt, pipeline reliability, performance stability, or how close the project was to a shippable standard. That said, it is difficult to ignore the broader pattern Ubisoft created around this remake, because its public history reads like a case study in stop start development.
Ubisoft officially announced the remake in September 2020 with an early 2021 release target. The reveal was met with criticism, largely focused on visuals that many felt looked behind the curve. Still, the general expectation was that time and polish could fix presentation, as long as gameplay and tone landed. The release window shifted multiple times. The project was delayed past its initial plan, then pushed further into 2022. In May 2022, leadership moved the project from Ubisoft Mumbai and Ubisoft Pune to Ubisoft Montreal. In May 2023, Ubisoft confirmed the remake was rebooted and back in the concept phase, effectively resetting progress again.
After that, updates became scarce and vague, even as rumors hinted at progress and possible timing. But the reset era Ubisoft has entered appears to be operating under stricter greenlight rules, and the remake ultimately failed that bar. The combination of a long public timeline, repeated restarts, and a sudden cancellation is why leaked images feel like salt in the wound: they create the perception that something promising existed, then was lost to instability rather than purely creative direction.
For fans, the immediate question is not just what the remake looked like, but what Ubisoft’s reset means for legacy franchises going forward. If the company is serious about enhanced quality standards, it will need to prove that this discipline results in fewer false starts, tighter production leadership, and more consistent delivery, not just more cancellations. Otherwise, the brand damage compounds, and every future reveal will be met with skepticism rather than hype.
What hurts more here: losing the remake after years of delays, or seeing evidence that it may have been visually turning a corner before Ubisoft pulled the plug?
