The ex-devs of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown are reportedly working on a Rayman remake. The secret codename for the project is “Project Steamboat,” and the team at Ubisoft Milan is handling it.
According to Insider Gaming sources, the staff of this secret Rayman remake includes a dozen members of the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team. Sources reveal that the team is currently based in Ubisoft Milan, an Italy-based studio behind the development of more than 25 Ubisoft titles.
Ubisoft developers behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown join Secret Rayman remake
Insider-Gaming: about a dozen former Prince of Persia Lost Crown devs are working on a Rayman Remake under codename Project Steambot (Ubisoft Milan).
Michel Ancel is working as consultant, raising concerns among the team due to his toxic leadership.
Other devs from the… pic.twitter.com/lyHaghm11L
— Wario64 (@Wario64) October 23, 2024
Recently, news spread that the Ubisoft Montpellier team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was allegedly disbanded because of underwhelming commercial performance. Speculation also suggests that some developers migrated to other development teams, like the one behind Beyond Good & Evil 2 and the one behind the next Ghost Recon title.
Before the team was disbanded, reports speculate that the team pitched additional digital content for players to download and add to The Lost Crown to follow September’s Mask of Darkness. However, higher-ranking officials at Ubisoft allegedly declined, concerned that the original versions would underperform more than the initial game releases.
Rumors also suggest that the team behind the reported Rayman Remake has onboarded Michel Ancel. Ancel is the creator of Ubisoft’s top titles, such as Beyond Good and Evil 2 and the original Rayman.
The team allegedly invited the gaming veteran for consultation on the reported remake in a bid to improve the forthcoming version. Ancel retired from video game development in 2020 after 30 years in the industry and announced he was venturing into more wildlife exploration as his second passion.
His reported return to the industry has sparked controversies in the gaming community. His tenure at Ubisoft was previously under scrutiny for alleged workplace toxicity. Notably, Michel’s involvement in the remake is still unclear and unconfirmed at the time of this publication.
Ubisoft distances itself from Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and its sequels
Ubisoft denied the sequel to the game for fear of hindering the long-term sales growth of the original, along with more DLC expansions. Insider Gaming speculates that the decision to abandon Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and its sequels came to light in May this year when the game failed to meet internal expectations after debuting on 18th January 2024.
Developers allegedly told Insider Gaming that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was ‘perfect’ from when it was pitched in June 2020. The game’s developers reportedly saw a smooth cruise along the game’s development journey, something that is not common for unreleased games under development.
The sources also revealed to the outlet that Ubisoft’s over-expectations on the game hindered developers from exploring creative avenues to improve the game. The first Rayman game launched in 1995 as a 2D version. Gamers are also waiting for the critically acclaimed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The action and adventure game is expected to make a grand return to the gaming market sometime in 2026.