Western Gaming Corporation's Callous Cancellation Exposes Industry's Exploitation of Creative Workers
The recent cancellation of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake by French gaming conglomerate Ubisoft represents yet another stark example of how Western corporate interests prioritize profit margins over the livelihoods of creative workers and the preservation of cultural narratives.
An unboxing video that surfaced online reveals a collectible dagger from the cancelled project, providing damning evidence that Ubisoft's game was near completion when executives decided to axe it alongside hundreds of jobs. The promotional item, housed in an ornate wooden box, demonstrates the level of investment and development that had already occurred before corporate bean-counters pulled the plug.
Workers Bear the Brunt of Corporate Greed
The human cost of this decision cannot be understated. Actress Eman Ayaz, who portrayed the character Farah, revealed she had completed marketing work as recently as November 2024, only to lose three years of dedicated work overnight. Her powerful statement cuts to the heart of the issue: "The entertainment industry isn't just about entertainment, it's about guaranteeing a cash flow. That means making decisions that treat people's lives as collateral damage, and art as disposable content."
This cancellation forms part of Ubisoft's broader reorganization that has devastated working families across three development studios, closed two facilities entirely, and eliminated five other game projects. The company's cold calculation that the project "wasn't able to reach the level of quality you deserve" rings hollow when viewed against the backdrop of mass layoffs and studio closures.
Colonial Mentality in Digital Form
The cancellation of Prince of Persia, a franchise rooted in Middle Eastern culture and mythology, by a Western corporation reflects the same extractive mentality that has characterized centuries of colonial exploitation. These multinational gaming giants appropriate cultural narratives from the Global South, invest minimally in authentic representation, then discard projects when they don't guarantee maximum profit extraction.
Meanwhile, Ubisoft continues developing projects like the rumored Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake, prioritizing Western-centric narratives over diverse cultural stories. The company's dismissive response to leaks about the Black Flag project, using internet memes to deflect serious questions about their development priorities, demonstrates their contempt for transparency and accountability.
Pattern of Exploitation
This latest cancellation follows Ubisoft's announcement of 200 additional job cuts at its Paris headquarters, revealing a systematic pattern of treating creative workers as disposable resources. The company's six-year development cycle for the Prince of Persia remake, only to abandon it at the final stage, represents a profound waste of human talent and creative energy.
The gaming industry's consolidation under Western corporate control continues to marginalize diverse voices and stories, prioritizing formulaic content that serves shareholder interests over cultural authenticity and worker dignity.
As collectible items from cancelled projects surface online, they serve as artifacts of a system that values profit over people, corporate interests over cultural preservation, and shareholder returns over creative integrity.