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Ubisoft

Developers at Ubisoft Halifax have filed to unionise

by admin June 18, 2025

The majority of staff at Ubisoft Halifax, developer of mobile games like Rainbow Six Mobile and Assassin’s Creed Rebellion, have filed to unionize with CWA Canada.

As posted on CWA Canada’s website (via Game Developer), the union filed with the Nova Scotia Labour Board today, June 18, 2025.

Following a secret ballot and certification, staff across different departments of the studio will form a wall-to-wall bargaining unit.

The goals of the staff at Ubisoft Halifax are tied to the lack of stability in the current moment of the games industry.

“Unionising with my coworkers at Ubisoft Halifax is important to me so that we have the strength needed to protect what we have today and to fight for our tomorrow,” said senior server programmer at the studio, Thomas Gillis.

“With no end in sight to the industry-wide turbulence that sees studios shutter on releasing games fans love, it is up to us, the workers, to organize and demand a say in our labour, art and future.”

CWA Canada is a union that represents 6,000 workers across all types of media, including journalism, game development, and digital media, and also includes almost 120 workers from BGS-Microsoft in Montreal.

A letter co-signed by 39 staff of the nearly 60-strong studio explains their position in more detail.

“In an era marked by industry-wide uncertainty, studio closures, layoffs, and increasing instability, we want to make clear our commitment to one another and to our craft,” the statement reads.

“We believe that creativity flourishes when workers feel secure, supported, and empowered. We are unionising not in opposition to Ubisoft, but in partnership, with the goal of ensuring our studio remains a beacon of equity, excellence, and innovation,” the statement continues.

“Unionising gives us, the workers, a meaningful voice among decision-makers, a voice that will help shape the future of Ubisoft Halifax and the industry at large. Together, we will continue to build timeless experiences for players and forge a modern, compassionate, and resilient workplace for all who contribute to our craft.”

Find the full letter here.

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June 18, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Ubisoft still “deep” in the development of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

by admin June 17, 2025

Ubisoft is still “deep” in the development of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.

While the developer didn’t offer much more information about its pipeline or intimate a release date, in a message posted to social media, the team wrote: “Yep, we’re still deep in the game – exploring, building, and ensuring the sands move with purpose.”

“This game is being crafted by a team that truly cares, and they’re pouring their hearts (and a lot of coffee) into every step. Thank you for sticking with us.”

Beyond that, Ubisoft would only confirm to curious fans that the remake would be “com[ing] to consoles with the full launch.”

The remake was announced at Ubisoft Forward 2020, and had an initial release date of January 21, 2021. Back then, the reveal drew criticism for its visuals, prompting Ubisoft to delay release to March 2021. In June 2021, the remake of the 2003 title was rescheduled for 2022. After the title switched studios, Ubisoft refunded all pre-orders, and it’s now finally expected to release in 2026.

Last month, Ubisoft confirmed Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – which launched on console and PC in January 2024, MacOS in December 2024, and mobile in April 2025 – surpassed two million players.

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June 17, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Prince of Persia remake apparently still on track for 2026, per Ubisoft

by admin June 17, 2025

“Yep, we’re still deep in the game — exploring, building, and ensuring the sands move with purpose,” the post reads. “This game is being crafted by a team that truly cares, and they’re pouring their hearts (and a lot of coffee) into every step. Thank you for sticking with us.”

The post was accompanied by an image of a beautiful domed building set against the backdrop of a setting sun, though the game’s titular prince does not appear in it.

There was no Ubisoft Forward showcase at this year’s Summer Game Fest, so the update, sparse though it may be, was likely posted to ensure players know the game is still on the way, and — as far as we know — still scheduled for a 2026 launch. The game’s official website states that it will launch on PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One.

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June 17, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Ubisoft Reminds Us It’s Still Making Prince Of Persia Remake

by admin June 17, 2025

Image: Ubisoft

Remember that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake Ubisoft announced back in 2020? The one that was supposed to launch four years ago? Well, it’s still in development according to a new update from the publisher after the game was a no-show during Summer Game Fest.

The Week In Games: Pokémon With Guns And More New Releases

Back in September 2020, Ubisoft announced a remake of 2003’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It was set to launch in 2021 and was being developed by Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai. But then in December 2020, the game was delayed until March 2021. In February 2021, it was delayed again with no new release date given. Over a year later, in May 2022, Ubisoft announced that Ubisoft Montréal—the studio behind the original Sands of Time—was taking over the project. And it was then revealed that development on the remake was essentially starting over. At Summer Game Fest 2024, Ubisoft re-announced the Sands of Time remake with a tiny teaser and a new 2026 release date. That brings us to today, when Ubisoft really wants you all to know that things are going great. Promise!

On June 16, over a week after Summer Game Fest 2025 wrapped up, Ubisoft shared a small update about the Sands of Time remake. Some fans were nervous that the game might have been delayed again or canceled after it went unmentioned during any SGF-related event or showcase. Ubisoft has now said that’s not the case, claiming the game is still “deep” in development.

“Yep, we’re still deep in the game — exploring, building, and ensuring the sands move with purpose,” said Ubisoft on Monday. “This game is being crafted by a team that truly cares, and they’re pouring their hearts (and a lot of coffee) into every step. Thank you for sticking with us.”

In a follow-up message on Twitter, Ubisoft told people to go check out a different, already released entry in the series, The Rogue Prince of Persia, while “development continues behind the scenes.”

So…there you go. Ubisoft is still remaking Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. If it lands its 2026 release date, it will be out just in time to celebrate the original game’s 23-year anniversary.

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June 17, 2025 0 comments

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time key art

Product Reviews

Prince of Persia social media botch forces Ubisoft to promise once again that it’s still working on The Sands of Time

by admin June 16, 2025

In what seems like an entirely out-of-nowhere reminder, a surprise message on the Prince of Persia X account has popped up to promise everyone that yes, Ubisoft is still working on The Sands of Time “behind the scenes,” and no, it has nothing more to say about it. It’s all a bit odd, and almost entirely random, but scrolling back through the social media feed reveals that there is actually a good reason for the unprompted message—and by “good” I mean pretty silly.

First things first, a quick timeline on The Sands of Time Remake. It was originally supposed to be out in January 2021 but was delayed a couple months because “2020 has been a year like no other,” and boy, we really had no idea, did we?

Fair enough, then—and also a reminder of how long this whole thing has been dragging on—but another delay followed without a new release date—never a good sign—and then another, and eventually it got to the point where Ubisoft was reduced to promising the whole thing hadn’t been cancelled (but had been delayed (again)). There was a new studio, and more studios, a whole-ass reboot in mid-2023, a delay into 2026 with an unexplained title change, and honestly: Why is it so hard to make a game you already made 20 years ago?

Anyway, I re-litigate all of this because it amuses me to do so, but also because the events leading up to today’s seemingly random missive on social media also have a timeline explaining why Ubisoft would just put this out for no apparent reason, which we will now dive into.

It begins on June 9, with the appearance of an ominous message: “Something is lurking in these waters,” words made even more noteworthy because of their appearance one year, almost to the day, after Ubisoft’s most recent Sands of Time update, the one where the “Remake” part of the title was dropped. Exciting stuff for those who noticed, but not many noticed because the message was quickly deleted.

This guy noticed, though.

(Image credit: RickGrimes989 (Twitter))

It turned out the message that got Sands of Time hopefuls all worked up was in fact intended for the For Honor account, to tease the reveal of the next season:

Something is lurking in these waters.. pic.twitter.com/7jFZw72c2hJune 9, 2025

Ubisoft copped to the whiff in short order.

(Image credit: Ubisoft (Twitter))

Unfortunately, it didn’t help calm things down: Some fans were convinced Ubisoft really did have something to show, others begged for anything, and a few seemed to have simply reached their limit with the whole thing:

(Image credit: Twitter)

Which brings us to today’s update, posted just shy of a week after everything went sideways with a For Honor tease.

“Yep, we’re still deep in the game—exploring, building, and ensuring the sands move with purpose,” Ubisoft wrote. “This game is being crafted by a team that truly cares, and they’re pouring their hearts (and a lot of coffee) into every step. Thank you for sticking with us.

“While development continues behind the scenes, there’s another adventure waiting for you right now: The Rogue Prince of Persia—fast, stylish, and built with the same dedication.”

(Image credit: Ubisoft (Twitter))

So there you have it: Yes, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is still in development, and no, there’s nothing to see here but a social media guy who probably didn’t have the best weekend ever. Sorry.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time does not have a release date yet, but for now it remains on target for sometime in 2026. We’ll see.

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June 16, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Ubisoft trial witnesses testify to “being tied to a chair, forced to do handstands, and subjected to constant comments about sex”

by admin June 9, 2025

Ubisoft developers have told a French court that former execs Serge Hascoet, Tommy Francois, and Guillaume Patrux allegedly perpetuated a “systemic” culture of sexism and abuse.

Former chief creative officer Serge Hascoët and ex-VP of editorial and creative services Tommy François both left the publisher in summer 2020, following allegations of widespread abuse, harassment, and discrimination within Ubisoft, including claims against the two executives. Former director Guillaume Patrux has similarly been accused of harassment and bullying. In all, five former executives from Ubisoft were arrested by French police in 2023 following a year-long investigation into sexual assault and harassment within the company. All three defendants deny the charges.

As reported by The Guardian, the trial, which began at the beginning of this month, has heard witnesses tell of feeling “terrified” and “like pieces of meat,” with state prosecutor Antoine Haushalter reporting “overwhelming” evidence of harassment.

“In four days of hearings, female former staff members variously described being tied to a chair, forced to do handstands, subjected to constant comments about sex and their bodies, having to endure sexist and homophobic jokes, drawings of penises being stuck to computers, a manager who farted in workers’ faces or scribbled on women with marker pens, gave unsolicited shoulder massages, played pornographic films in an open-plan office, and another executive who cracked a whip near people’s heads,” The Guardian reports.

Likening the culture to a “boys club” between 2010 and 2020, one alleged victim told the court: “The sexual remarks and sexual jokes were almost daily.”

A woman who worked for François alleged the former VP made her do handstand wearing a skirt.

“He was my superior and I was afraid of him,” she said. “He made me do handstands. I did it to get it over with and get rid of him.”

He is also accused of kissing a member of staff on the lips without consent at a Christmas party as his colleagues “restrained her by the arms and back,” while a different witness said that during a US trip, he “grabbed [her] by the hair and kissed [her] by force.” No one present reacted or stopped him, and when she reported him to HR on her return, she was told “don’t make a big thing of it.” She later had to refute rumors she’d been caught “snogging” François “even though he knew it had been an assault.”

The woman reports these incidents made her feel “stupefied, humiliated and professionally discredited.” François denies all charges, claims there was a “culture of joking around” at the studio, and insists: “I never tried to harm anyone.”

Hascoët is similarly accused of sexual harassment and bullying. He reportedly told colleagues at an away day that one of the senior female colleagues did not have enough sex, and said he would “show how to calm her” by having sex with her in the next room. He’s also alleged to have talked abut sex at the office, bullied his assistants, and made them undertake personal tasks during the working day, such as picking up parcels. The former exec denies all charges, saying: “I have never wanted to harass anyone and I don’t think I have.”

Patrux, also accused of sexual harassment and bullying, allegedly punched walls, mimed punching staff, “played with a cigarette lighter near workers’ faces, setting alight a man’s beard,” and “threatened to carry out an office shooting.” He also reportedly cracked a whip in the faces of his colleagues.

After four days of hearings, the judges have retired to consider the evidence and reach a verdict. All three men deny the charges.

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June 9, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Ubisoft, Roblox, Riot, and now Helldivers: Tencent just acquired a 15% stake in Arrowhead games

by admin June 6, 2025

Tencent has acquired a 15.75 percent stake in Arrowhead Games – the development studio behind Helldivers 2 – for $80m.

Tencent has previously founded or acquired shares in a variety of video game companies, including a new gaming venture with Ubisoft Games, total ownership of Riot Games, a major ownership position for 10 Chamber, and its own publishing arm Level Infinite.

Speaking to DI, founder John Pilestedt stated that bringing Tencent in as partial owners “opens up opportunities for China as a market. Gaining access to the Chinese player base is the holy grail in the gaming industry.”

Helldivers 2 just got a new Warbond yesterday too! Check it out!Watch on YouTube

The remaining 84.25 percent of shares are owned by Arrowhead founders Johan Pilestedt, Emil Englund, Malin Hedstrom, Peter Lindgren, and Anton Stenmark.

A recent financial report reviewed by DI stated Arrowhead had a turnover of 959m SEK, which is around £73,736,551 / $99,877,484.85 / €87,516,806.33, and an operating profit of 729m SEK which is £56,052,445.50 / $75,911,192.99 / €66,526,965.99. That’s a lot of cash!

Not too much of a surprise, considering Helldivers 2 was PlayStation’s fastest selling game ever. The game had recently found itself the stage for an invasion of Super Earth itself which revitalised the game’s player base to its highest point since that period of intense launch hype.

All the while Arrowhead bosses remain supportive of the pursuit of new and interesting ideas rather than trend chasing, with Pilestadt stating at GDC that the industry is doomed to “unnecessary layoffs” by “chasing after the battle royales”.

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June 6, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Mark Rubin leaves Ubisoft, XDefiant officially shuts down

by admin June 5, 2025

Ubisoft’s Mark Rubin has announced his departure from the company as its live service shooter XDefiant is officially sunsetted.

Rubin, who was executive producer on the title, shared he was leaving the developer on social media.

“I’ve decided to leave the industry and spend more time with my family, so unfortunately you won’t be hearing about me making another game,” he wrote.

“I do care passionately about the shooter space and hope that someone else can pick up the flag that I was trying to carry and make games again that care about the players, treat them with respect, and listen to what they have to say.”

Ubisoft announced it would be shutting XDefiant down last December.

Mark Rubin

Two production studios were closed as a result, and nearly 300 employees were affected by layoffs.

Ubisoft’s chief studios and portfolio officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert cited the game being “too far away from reaching the results required to enable further significant investment” as the reason for XDefiant going offline.

In October 2024, Rubin dismissed reports that XDefiant was on its way to being sunsetted. He said he’d been in meetings about potential plans for the game’s second season, and that the team were focused on improving the experience and adding more content.

However, in his recent post on social media, he highlighted the issues that arose during development which led to XDefiant’s downfall.

These included “crippling tech engine debt using an engine that wasn’t designed for what we were doing” and not having “the engineering resources to ever correct that.”

He also said that “not having the right resources to make content for the game” also impeded development.

“I can say everyone’s (devs, HQ leadership, etc.) heart was in the right place, but we just didn’t have the gas to go the distance for a free-to-play game,” he explained. “I really want to praise and salute all the devs that worked on XDefiant.

“The cards were heavily stacked against you, but you managed to produce a really fun and terrific game.”

Rubin continued: “I also think we made a decent impact in the space. We saw a lot of reactions from other games to what we were doing and to me that speaks volumes. I’m really sorry we couldn’t quite deliver and maintain this game for a longer time.”

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June 5, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Ubisoft marks 10 years of trolling Splinter Cell fans with a new tease and I can’t believe I’m saying this but they used the wrong picture of Sam Fisher

by admin May 31, 2025

Summer Game Fest season is almost upon us, and you know what that means. That’s right, it’s time for Ubisoft to once again disappoint Splinter Cell fans by reminding us that it’s been almost four years since the remake was announced.

“Splinter Cell fans are getting excited about a possible update on the remake in June,” I wrote in April—except that was April 2024, not 2025, and June 2024 ultimately brought us nothing. We did hear about a Splinter Cell animated series on Netflix, not featuring the voice of Michael Ironside, and then in November of that year the Splinter Cell movie starring Tom Hardy that was announced, appropriately, in 2012 was officially given the Sam Fisher handshake.

Prior to that? The “full remake” of Splinter Cell was revealed in December 2021, a year later we were told it was being re-written “for a modern day audience,” and then a month after that the director quit. So, not exactly setting the world on fire there.

Ubisoft teasing a big Splinter Cell announcement ahead of SGF 2025

by admin May 30, 2025

The company uploaded a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday with an image of what appears to be Sam Fisher, the beloved main character from the stealth action-adventure franchise. Using eye and mouth emojis, the social account typed “#SplinterCell” with no further context.

Naturally, the mysterious post sent Splinter Cell fans into a tizzy; X users began commenting on it with excitement and hesitation, pleading with Ubisoft not to disappoint and/or tease them. Polygon has contacted Ubisoft for comment and will update this story with any further information we receive.

While Ubisoft has been relatively quiet about its Splinter Cell plans, a recent job listing for the franchise was posted to the company’s career board.

According to the job listing, Ubisoft is hiring a level design director who will “cultivate a vision for the game’s unique stealth-centric missions, breaking down the high-level direction of the game into compelling, tense and well-realized gameplay experiences.”

The job listing details other responsibilities for the level design director, such as “[crafting] and demonstrating examples of interesting and fun gameplay setups that feel uniquely Splinter Cell.”

Ubisoft last teased its Splinter Cell Remake project in December 2021, uploading a video about the perpetually upcoming game on YouTube. The video’s narrator detailed the history of the stealth franchise and explained that some of the devs responsible for the original game, now a part of Ubisoft Toronto, are returning to create a remake of the 2002 title.

“Using the first Splinter Cell game as our foundation, we are rewriting and updating the story for a modern-day audience,” the now-deleted post read at the time. “We want to keep the spirit and themes of the original game while exploring our characters and the world to make them more authentic and believable.

Fans may be treated to more details regarding Ubisoft’s plans for Sam Fisher at Summer Game Fest, which kicks off Friday, June 6 at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. GMT.

Until then, keep the hope alive, Splinter Cell fans.

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May 30, 2025 0 comments