The team behind one of this year’s best-reviewed games has effectively been disbanded, videogame giant Ubisoft has confirmed.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was released in January to a positive reception from critics and users and currently sits in review aggregator Metacritic’s top 50 games of 2024.

Despite this, reports have suggested the game did not hit sales targets in a difficult year for the French publisher, best known for the Assassin’s Creed series.

In a statement, Ubisoft said: “Most of the team members who worked on Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have shifted to other projects that will benefit from their expertise.”

A spokeswoman said there had been no layoffs as a result.

The Lost Crown, made by Ubisoft’s Montepellier studio, was the first game in the long-running franchise for more than 10 years.

Players guided protagonist Sargon through a series of areas, unlocking more parts of the game’s map as he acquired new abilities.

The game was praised for its visuals, controls and the ability to hear its dialogue performed in Farsi, reflecting the story’s Middle Eastern location.

Senior producer Abdelhak Elguess said he was “extremely proud of our team’s work and passion” on a “game that resonated with players and critics alike”.

He said he was confident in the game’s “long-term success” and that remaining team members would focus on making it available to more players on new platforms.

Mr Elguess said there would be “more Prince of Persia experiences in future”, and Ubisoft has confirmed it’s working on a remake of 2003’s Sands of Time – one of the most beloved entries in the series.

It’s not unusual for a large publisher to move staff between projects, but the announcement has left Lost Crown fans hoping for a sequel disappointed.

Ubisoft has been criticised recently over the troubled early release of Star Wars: Outlaws in August.

Sales of the game were “softer than expected”, according to the company, which also delayed Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.

Ubisoft co-founder and boss Yves Guillemot told shareholders the move was due to the company’s performance falling “short of our expectations”.

“We remain committed to creating games for fans and players that everyone can enjoy,” he said.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.