Ubisoft has cancelled six video games - including its long-awaited Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake - as part of a major reset of its operations. The French developer and publisher, known for popular games such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Just Dance, has closed two studios and delayed seven titles as part of its changes. Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot said the move would create the conditions for a return to sustainable growth. The firm's shares plunged by 33% on Thursday morning following the announcement. The move comes at a time when studios are increasingly turning to video game remakes and remasters, with new versions of Super Mario Galaxy, Oblivion and Metal Gear Solid 3 proving popular in 2025.

In need of a quiet getaway after completing my fourth novel, last week I booked a hotel on the seafront in Paignton, Devon and planned to spend three days wandering about and reading in cafes. As soon as I arrived, however, I saw that there were several arcades on the main street and on the pier. Obviously, I had to visit them all. As a child living in Cheshire in the 1980s, I spent many happy summer days in the arcades along the Golden Mile in Blackpool. These vast cathedrals of leisure, their exterior walls covered in flashing multicoloured light bulbs, were crammed with the video games of the era.

Assassin's Creed Infinity won't be a free-to-play online game, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has confirmed during the developer's latest earnings call. Bloomberg first reported about the project's existence back in July, and the company has shared details about it bit by bit since then. The publication said that AC Infinity, which is the project's name that could change upon release, will be a live online service similar to Grand Theft Auto Online that requires you to own the base game. "This game is going to have a lot of narrative elements in it. It's going to be very innovative game, but it will have what players already have in all the other Assassin's Creed games, all the elements that they love... right from the start. So it's going to be a huge game. But with lots of elements that already exist in the games that we published in the past."

The state of California is suing Activision Blizzard, alleging the video game publisher violated equal pay laws and "fostered a sexist culture" within the workplace. In a statement released by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court claims Activision Blizzard paid women less than men despite doing more work, and fired or forced women to quit at higher frequencies than men. The agency also says women of color were "particularly impacted" by the company's practices. The suit also alleges women working at Activision Blizzard were subject to constant sexual harassment including groping, comments and advances. 'All of a sudden ... a villain':How online harassment turned to public health officials "All employers should ensure that their employees are being paid equally and take all steps to prevent discrimination, harassment, and retaliation," said Kevin Kish, director of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, in a statement.

The second most powerful executive at French gaming company Ubisoft is among more senior staff to have left the firm as it pursues an internal investigation into sexual harassment allegations. Last month the company, one of the world's largest video game publishers with a portfolio including Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, launched a probe after allegations of sexual misconduct were shared online. Serge Hascoet, chief creative officer and the company's second-in-command, has resigned, as has the human resources director, Cecile Cornet, and the managing director of the Canadian branch, Yannis Mallat, Ubisoft said on Sunday. "The recent allegations that have come to light in Canada against multiple employees make it impossible for [Mallat] to continue in this position," it said. Another two top executives left earlier in July after current and former employees used social media to denounce predatory behaviour by managers.

SAN FRANCISCO - The knock-down, drag-out battle in the video game world heads to the cloud as the premier industry event looks to adapt to a consumer shift to streaming services. New blockbuster titles will be on center stage as usual at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) opening in Los Angeles on Tuesday, but the big question for the sector will be how consumers play. The E3 opens with gamers gradually moving away from traditional console play and Google seeking to capitalize on that trend with a new Netflix-style service allowing people to play cloud-powered games on any connected device. Adapting to the new trends will be critical for players in the massive video game industry, which last year generated more than $135 billion globally, and $43.4 billion in the United States. According to the Entertainment Software Association, which runs E3, more than 164 million adults in the United States play video games, and 3 out of 4 U.S. households have at least one video game player.

French video game giant Ubisoft has recorded strong revenue in the recent past, thanks to a stable of consistent hits like Rainbow Six: Siege, Ghost Recon: Wildlands and the Assassin's Creed franchise. Even the oddball crossover Mario Rabbids: Kingdom Battle for Nintendo Switch found success earlier this year. But Ubisoft's steady run of success has not saved the company from talk of a possible hostile takeover by fellow French media corporation Vivendi. The good news for Ubisoft: It does not seem like a takeover will happen in the immediate future. Vivendi said it will not attempt a takeover in the next six months.

There is no sexy origin story for the Assassin's Creed movie, to hear Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot tell it. He speaks of bringing down customer acquisition costs and finding ways to offset the investment needs of AAA game development. It's all part of the philosophy Ubisoft Motion Pictures was founded upon when the division was established in 2011. SEE ALSO: Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard get philosophical about'Assassin's Creed' "It came from the fact that I saw competitors doing movies [based on] games," Guillemot told Mashable in an interview. "I saw the risk and the opportunity linked to that."

"Tom Clancy's The Division" was the biggest launch of a new video game property ever, which helped Ubisoft report a profit for its fiscal 2015-2016, the company said Thursday. Ubisoft reported a decrease in sales but a rise in profit for its fiscal 2015-16. Sales were 1.8 billion, down 4.8 percent compared to the previous year, but the 147 million profit was up from the 128 million posted the previous year. "The Division" has amassed 9.5 million registered players since its launch on March 8. Active players are spending around three hours daily on the open world third-person shooter. Bolstering Ubisoft's earnings report was the better-than-expected release "Far Cry Primal," which had the biggest February launch.