The cancellation of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – Remake, announced by Ubisoft in early 2026, disappointed thousands of players around the world. But fans of Jordan Mechner’s iconic series did not just sit around mourning the project. Instead, they decided to take matters into their own hands. The result is a large-scale modding effort that is still in its early stages, but already aims to modernize the visual side of the original 2003 The Sands of Time.
The project began as an initiative from Prince of Persia Universe, an X account dedicated to the franchise, and it will be known as the Prince of Persia: Community Remake Project. The idea is to bring people together to update the original game with significantly higher-quality assets. To do that, the team plans to rely on RTX Remix, the open-source platform built on NVIDIA Omniverse, while also using tools developed specifically for the project. In other words, the community is now trying to fill the void left behind by Ubisoft after abandoning its remake.
In its announcement post on X, Prince of Persia Universe said the fan community had come together to create its own project following the cancellation of the The Sands of Time remake. The team stressed that this is not a traditional remake, but rather a large-scale mod that aims to replace most of the 3D models with far more detailed assets while also introducing global illumination through path tracing. The same message also served as a recruitment call, as the team is still looking for modders willing to join the effort.
The project is, of course, still a long way from release, since development has only just begun. Right now, the organizers are searching for 3D modelers, texture artists, programmers, and RTX Remix specialists. The plan is for the Prince of Persia: Community Remake Project to be a public mod driven by the fan community itself. Its creators say the goal is to deliver a fully playable experience from start to finish, featuring next-gen visuals while preserving the spirit of the original game.
Prince of Persia Universe had already been one of the most visible voices pushing to revive the official The Sands of Time remake. It was also among the users behind a petition asking Ubisoft to finish and release the project, but that effort appears to have gone nowhere as the publisher remained inactive. The movement, however, did not die. It simply changed shape. Instead of waiting for the publisher to act, the community is now trying to modernize the 2003 classic on its own.
Meanwhile, Ubisoft defended the cancellation by saying that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – Remake had real potential, but the team failed to reach the level of quality players deserved. Even so, the company also insisted that Prince of Persia as a universe and a legacy remains important to it, and that this decision does not mean it is abandoning the franchise. The only question is how many players still believe that after a remake announced in 2020, followed by a weak first trailer, multiple delays, and years of visible struggle, ultimately came to nothing but a bitter end.
Source: 3DJuegos
