10 Canceled Ubisoft Games We'll NEVER Get to Play
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VOICE OVER: Johnny Reynolds
WRITTEN BY: Johnny Reynolds
Ubisoft has canceled a lot of games over the years. Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we're looking through Ubisoft's long history to showcase 10 of the studio's biggest cancellations. Our list of canceled Ubisoft games includes “Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Patriots,” “Prince of Persia: Redemption,” "Rayman 4," “Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy,” and more!
Script written by Johnny Reynolds
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking through Ubisoft’s long history to showcase 10 of the studio’s biggest cancellations.
Let’s start with a big one, and one that likely upsets a lot of diehard platformer fans. Following “Rayman 3,” Ubisoft focused on the “Rabbids” spin-offs until 2011’s “Rayman Origins.” However, before the spin-off’s first entry was released, the studio spent some time on “Rayman 4.” In fact, there were two iterations of the game before Ubisoft pivoted to 2006’s “Rayman Raving Rabbids.” One was from the now-closed Phoenix Studio, which lasted four months into development. The other, under Ubisoft Montpellier, had a treasure trove of content leak in late 2022, including its source code and a ton of assets. Ubisoft reportedly made the switch due to the Wii’s release, going heavy on mini-games since “Rayman 4,” at that point, lacked direction.
The Wii U didn’t have a great run, and that was true right at the start. One of the launch games that failed to catch on was Ubisoft’s “ZombiU.” It wasn’t the most original of premises; it was a zombie apocalypse, only this time in London. But it was a fun enough time despite this and did some interesting things with the GamePad. A sequel was considered, and a prototype was developed. New features would have included multiple routes to give levels more variety, as well as co-op. It didn’t get any further than that, sadly, as the first game’s sales were a disappointment to Ubisoft. So much so that it also turned an upcoming Wii U exclusive, “Rayman Legends,” into a multi-platform release.
It seems everyone has tried to get in on the battle royale trend at one point or another. Ubisoft announced “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon” series would be taking that route in late 2021 with “Frontline.” But things went South pretty soon after, with fans being unhappy about the switch from stealth to action. The studio canceled the planned alpha test for unknown reasons. And when it hosted a closed beta in early 2022, the gameplay leaked onto Twitch. Those who saw it berated it for being exactly like “Call of Duty: Warzone.” With a fanbase against it, and other financial burdens, maybe Ubisoft felt the fight wasn’t worth it. “Frontline” was canceled in July of 2022.
Outside of the now many Switch ports, “Assassin’s Creed” mostly stayed away from Nintendo’s platforms, save for a couple of DS titles. The series was planned to jump to the 3DS next, but that never came to be. “Assassin’s Creed: Lost Legacy” was announced during Nintendo’s E3 2010 conference, and would have followed Ezio uncovering the history of the Assassin Order and Altaïr from the first game. Ubisoft would recycle those elements into 2011’s “Revelations.” It seems likely the story and ideas grew too large for the smaller platform. Nonetheless, it would’ve been interesting to see what it was like.
Ubisoft has been having a rough couple of years, to put it lightly. Amid game delays and backlash to several controversies, the studio had to cancel three games in early 2023. While two of them were unannounced, one only ever got that far: “Project Q.” Following the leak of its existence, Ubisoft announced it in 2022, calling it a team battle arena game, and stressing the fact that it wasn’t a battle royale. We only know it would have featured PvP modes, and Ubisoft also used the announcement as damage control for one of its many controversies by saying it wouldn’t feature NFTs. All we saw was concept art, so who knows how this could’ve gone.
In late 2011, Ubisoft announced a new entry in the “Rainbow Six” series, titled “Patriots.” Its announcement trailer was only of pre-rendered footage, but the premise sounded enticing. Players and their allies would have gone up against a group called the True Patriots, wreaking havoc in New York City and putting Wall Street on trial. Unfortunately, the game’s development period was troubled, with many key leads, including its Creative Director and Lead Designer, leaving the project in 2012. The onset of the eighth console generation probably complicated matters, and Ubisoft announced its cancellation in 2014. However, all was not lost as “Rainbow Six Siege” was announced immediately after.
Ahh, tie-in games. There was a time where every license was thrown at the proverbial video game wall to see what would stick, even network TV dramas. Ubisoft jumped on a couple as well. While working on 2008’s “Lost: Via Domus,” it attempted to pick up another popular sci-fi show: NBC’s “Heroes.” Announced in 2007 and planned for a Fall 2008 release window, it would’ve adapted events from Season 1 while focusing on a brand new character. Ubisoft partnered with developer High Voltage Software, but the team backed out due to a lack of resources for a short development period. The show’s ratings began to steeply decline as well, causing Ubisoft to abandon it shortly after.
Published by Ubisoft and developed by Gearbox, the “Brothers in Arms” series chronicles various operations during WWII. The franchise has sadly been quiet for a while now, and its last few installments were mobile-only. However, a full-fledged console release was planned and announced by Ubisoft at E3 2011. It would have been far more light-hearted in tone compared to other entries, focusing on four new characters as they murdered their way across Germany looking for Hitler. The change in tone was negatively received by fans, causing Gearbox to pivot. Ubisoft backed out prior to the transformation of the game, which eventually morphed into “Battleborn,” another game that was doomed for failure.
Around the same time Ubisoft canceled “Ghost Recon Frontline,” it also broke news of another Tom Clancy cancellation. Like we said, it’s been a rough couple of years. The company had previously announced a “Splinter Cell” VR title in 2020, exclusively in development for Oculus. At the time of its 2022 cancellation, Ubisoft was attempting to reduce the blow of financial failures by leaning on more well-known franchises; the “Assassin’s Creed” VR game, which was announced simultaneously, finished development and released in November of 2023. That’s a real shame, because “Splinter Cell” seems like a great fit for VR. Putting you in spy missions, using different gadgets and weaponry, sounds like a great experience.
“Prince of Persia” made a stunning comeback after a fourteen-year long absence with 2024’s “The Lost Crown.” However, another entry could have broken up that hiatus. “Prince of Persia: Redemption” was in early development at Ubisoft Montreal in the early 2010s. A pre-rendered trailer made the internet rounds in 2020, and the fanbase was unanimous in its positivity. Reason for cancellation is unclear; “Prince of Persia’s” popularity had certainly declined by that point and some have speculated that its profit margins are smaller due to series creator Jordan Mechner retaining the license. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed,” which features similar gameplay, was also growing in popularity at the time. Regardless, the rejected pitch seems interesting enough that we wish Ubisoft had followed through on it.
What canceled Ubisoft game do you wish you could’ve tried? Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for great gaming videos every day!
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking through Ubisoft’s long history to showcase 10 of the studio’s biggest cancellations.
“Rayman 4”
Let’s start with a big one, and one that likely upsets a lot of diehard platformer fans. Following “Rayman 3,” Ubisoft focused on the “Rabbids” spin-offs until 2011’s “Rayman Origins.” However, before the spin-off’s first entry was released, the studio spent some time on “Rayman 4.” In fact, there were two iterations of the game before Ubisoft pivoted to 2006’s “Rayman Raving Rabbids.” One was from the now-closed Phoenix Studio, which lasted four months into development. The other, under Ubisoft Montpellier, had a treasure trove of content leak in late 2022, including its source code and a ton of assets. Ubisoft reportedly made the switch due to the Wii’s release, going heavy on mini-games since “Rayman 4,” at that point, lacked direction.
“ZombiU 2”
The Wii U didn’t have a great run, and that was true right at the start. One of the launch games that failed to catch on was Ubisoft’s “ZombiU.” It wasn’t the most original of premises; it was a zombie apocalypse, only this time in London. But it was a fun enough time despite this and did some interesting things with the GamePad. A sequel was considered, and a prototype was developed. New features would have included multiple routes to give levels more variety, as well as co-op. It didn’t get any further than that, sadly, as the first game’s sales were a disappointment to Ubisoft. So much so that it also turned an upcoming Wii U exclusive, “Rayman Legends,” into a multi-platform release.
“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Frontline”
It seems everyone has tried to get in on the battle royale trend at one point or another. Ubisoft announced “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon” series would be taking that route in late 2021 with “Frontline.” But things went South pretty soon after, with fans being unhappy about the switch from stealth to action. The studio canceled the planned alpha test for unknown reasons. And when it hosted a closed beta in early 2022, the gameplay leaked onto Twitch. Those who saw it berated it for being exactly like “Call of Duty: Warzone.” With a fanbase against it, and other financial burdens, maybe Ubisoft felt the fight wasn’t worth it. “Frontline” was canceled in July of 2022.
“Assassin’s Creed: Lost Legacy”
Outside of the now many Switch ports, “Assassin’s Creed” mostly stayed away from Nintendo’s platforms, save for a couple of DS titles. The series was planned to jump to the 3DS next, but that never came to be. “Assassin’s Creed: Lost Legacy” was announced during Nintendo’s E3 2010 conference, and would have followed Ezio uncovering the history of the Assassin Order and Altaïr from the first game. Ubisoft would recycle those elements into 2011’s “Revelations.” It seems likely the story and ideas grew too large for the smaller platform. Nonetheless, it would’ve been interesting to see what it was like.
“Project Q”
Ubisoft has been having a rough couple of years, to put it lightly. Amid game delays and backlash to several controversies, the studio had to cancel three games in early 2023. While two of them were unannounced, one only ever got that far: “Project Q.” Following the leak of its existence, Ubisoft announced it in 2022, calling it a team battle arena game, and stressing the fact that it wasn’t a battle royale. We only know it would have featured PvP modes, and Ubisoft also used the announcement as damage control for one of its many controversies by saying it wouldn’t feature NFTs. All we saw was concept art, so who knows how this could’ve gone.
“Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Patriots”
In late 2011, Ubisoft announced a new entry in the “Rainbow Six” series, titled “Patriots.” Its announcement trailer was only of pre-rendered footage, but the premise sounded enticing. Players and their allies would have gone up against a group called the True Patriots, wreaking havoc in New York City and putting Wall Street on trial. Unfortunately, the game’s development period was troubled, with many key leads, including its Creative Director and Lead Designer, leaving the project in 2012. The onset of the eighth console generation probably complicated matters, and Ubisoft announced its cancellation in 2014. However, all was not lost as “Rainbow Six Siege” was announced immediately after.
“Heroes: The Video Game”
Ahh, tie-in games. There was a time where every license was thrown at the proverbial video game wall to see what would stick, even network TV dramas. Ubisoft jumped on a couple as well. While working on 2008’s “Lost: Via Domus,” it attempted to pick up another popular sci-fi show: NBC’s “Heroes.” Announced in 2007 and planned for a Fall 2008 release window, it would’ve adapted events from Season 1 while focusing on a brand new character. Ubisoft partnered with developer High Voltage Software, but the team backed out due to a lack of resources for a short development period. The show’s ratings began to steeply decline as well, causing Ubisoft to abandon it shortly after.
“Brothers in Arms: Furious 4”
Published by Ubisoft and developed by Gearbox, the “Brothers in Arms” series chronicles various operations during WWII. The franchise has sadly been quiet for a while now, and its last few installments were mobile-only. However, a full-fledged console release was planned and announced by Ubisoft at E3 2011. It would have been far more light-hearted in tone compared to other entries, focusing on four new characters as they murdered their way across Germany looking for Hitler. The change in tone was negatively received by fans, causing Gearbox to pivot. Ubisoft backed out prior to the transformation of the game, which eventually morphed into “Battleborn,” another game that was doomed for failure.
“Splinter Cell VR”
Around the same time Ubisoft canceled “Ghost Recon Frontline,” it also broke news of another Tom Clancy cancellation. Like we said, it’s been a rough couple of years. The company had previously announced a “Splinter Cell” VR title in 2020, exclusively in development for Oculus. At the time of its 2022 cancellation, Ubisoft was attempting to reduce the blow of financial failures by leaning on more well-known franchises; the “Assassin’s Creed” VR game, which was announced simultaneously, finished development and released in November of 2023. That’s a real shame, because “Splinter Cell” seems like a great fit for VR. Putting you in spy missions, using different gadgets and weaponry, sounds like a great experience.
“Prince of Persia: Redemption”
“Prince of Persia” made a stunning comeback after a fourteen-year long absence with 2024’s “The Lost Crown.” However, another entry could have broken up that hiatus. “Prince of Persia: Redemption” was in early development at Ubisoft Montreal in the early 2010s. A pre-rendered trailer made the internet rounds in 2020, and the fanbase was unanimous in its positivity. Reason for cancellation is unclear; “Prince of Persia’s” popularity had certainly declined by that point and some have speculated that its profit margins are smaller due to series creator Jordan Mechner retaining the license. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed,” which features similar gameplay, was also growing in popularity at the time. Regardless, the rejected pitch seems interesting enough that we wish Ubisoft had followed through on it.
What canceled Ubisoft game do you wish you could’ve tried? Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for great gaming videos every day!
