diff --git a/lib/services/ios-project-service.ts b/lib/services/ios-project-service.ts
index 92b8dcb9c0..2d7286fb19 100644
--- a/lib/services/ios-project-service.ts
+++ b/lib/services/ios-project-service.ts
@@ -98,8 +98,8 @@ export class IOSProjectService extends projectServiceBaseLib.PlatformProjectServ
 
 	public createProject(projectRoot: string, frameworkDir: string): IFuture<void> {
 		return (() => {
+			this.$fs.ensureDirectoryExists(path.join(projectRoot, IOSProjectService.IOS_PROJECT_NAME_PLACEHOLDER)).wait();
 			if(this.$options.symlink) {
-				this.$fs.ensureDirectoryExists(path.join(projectRoot, IOSProjectService.IOS_PROJECT_NAME_PLACEHOLDER)).wait();
 				let xcodeProjectName = util.format("%s.xcodeproj", IOSProjectService.IOS_PROJECT_NAME_PLACEHOLDER);
 
 				shell.cp("-R", path.join(frameworkDir, IOSProjectService.IOS_PROJECT_NAME_PLACEHOLDER, "*"), path.join(projectRoot, IOSProjectService.IOS_PROJECT_NAME_PLACEHOLDER));