Baldur's Gate 3 Publisher Calls Out Ubisoft for FLOPPING Prince of Persia!

Ubisoft’s recent decision to disband the development team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has been widely criticized, with prominent industry figures pointing to Ubisoft’s flawed strategy as a key factor in the game’s struggles. According to Michael Douse, Larian's Director of Publishing, this "broken strategy" is driven by Ubisoft’s preference for subscriptions over traditional game sales—a tactic Douse argues has ultimately undermined the game’s potential. In his statement, Douse noted that if Ubisoft insists on encouraging players to “get comfortable not owning games,” then developers, unfortunately, “must get used to not having jobs,” particularly if their work fails to hit subscription-driven targets despite achieving critical acclaim.

Despite Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown earning an 86 on Metacritic and receiving favorable feedback for its engaging gameplay, Ubisoft ultimately reassigned its developers to other projects shortly after the game’s release. Douse highlighted the missed opportunities with Ubisoft’s platform strategy, stating that if the game had been available on Steam from the start, it would have significantly increased its visibility and market performance. Unfortunately, Ubisoft chose to restrict The Lost Crown to its own platform and the Epic Games Store, with the delayed Steam release in August arriving too late to capitalize on launch momentum.

The decision to emphasize subscription models and internal platforms over established ones like Steam came under additional scrutiny when Douse explained that PC storefront sales like Steam can constitute over 90% of a game’s potential PC revenue. Releasing Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown to a limited audience meant that it “couldn’t resonate with an audience it couldn’t reach,” ultimately leaving the game’s visibility in the market underwhelming. By the time it did launch on Steam, interest had already waned, leading to disappointing sales and an absence of active players on platforms like Twitch within just a month.

This scenario has reignited debates around Ubisoft’s approach, with other industry experts, including Larian founder Swen Vincke, warning of the risks associated with subscriptions becoming the dominant model in gaming. With Ubisoft now returning to Steam with future releases, it appears they may be reconsidering their approach to digital distribution. But for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, the decision to prioritize subscriptions over direct sales has left a lasting impact, underscoring the challenges faced by developers in a shifting industry landscape.