‘It was devastating’: Prince of Persia remake actor found out the game was cancelled via the internet

An actor who has hinted that she was involved in the now-cancelled Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake has called finding out about the game’s cancellation via the internet, “the most devastating moment of [her] career.”

In a video posted to social media, Eman Ayaz recounted the story of finding out that a project she was working on for three years was cancelled.

While Ayaz does not name the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake directly, she has since reposted messages from fans that suggest it is the project she was referring to.

In the video, Ayaz claims she’s “still under NDA,” which requires her to speak only vaguely about the project and the cancellation.

Last week, Ubisoft announced that its troubled Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake has been cancelled. 

In a statement posted on the official Prince of Persia account on X, the game’s development team explained the decision to cancel it.

“To the Prince of Persia community, We want to share this with you directly,” the message reads. “We’ve made the difficult decision to stop development on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. We know this is deeply disappointing. The game carries enormous meaning for fans and for the teams who worked on it.

“While the project had real potential, we weren’t able to reach the level of quality you deserve, and continuing would have required more time and investment than we could responsibly commit. And, we didn’t want to release something that fell short of what The Sands of Time represents.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake was one of six games cancelled by Ubisoft last week.

Ayaz’s video, which at the time of writing has over 7 thousand views on YouTube and over 200,000 impressions on X, recounts her process of booking the game, rejecting other work in order to focus on the project, and her now-dashed hopes of applying for a U.S. work visa based on her contribution to the project.

“Three years ago, I booked a life-changing role on a life-changing project,” Ayaz said.

“It was a rigorous process, including a self-tape audition, a in-person callback, and then a chemistry read that I had to fly out of the city for. When I got the role, I remember crying my eyes out.”

“I’ve dedicated the last three years of my life to this project, and spent those years getting to know the team, which has become like a family to me,” Ayaz continued.

“This week, I found out through the internet that the project has been cancelled.”

Ayaz then claims that she found out about the cancellation after her brother messaged her on WhatsApp asking if she was okay.

When Ayaz asked what he was talking about, her brother sent her a link to a story about the game’s development coming to an end.

According to Ayaz’s video, she had filmed promotional material for the game only two months before it was cancelled, and that “everything had been running smoothly.”

Ayaz claims that, due to her being legally unable to confirm her contribution to the game, the three years of work she has put into the project have essentially been erased from her working life, and can’t appear on future showreels.