Unveiling Prince of Persia’s History: The Return of the Persian Legend!

Not too long ago, the appearance of the iconic Ubisoft logo on the screen promised an enjoyable experience. Each version of Prince of Persia was synonymous with Ubisoft and drew meaning from it. Join us to see what happened to this series and what events await it.

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The Original Prince of Persia Trilogy

Although we talked about Ubisoft and its influence on this series the original Prince of Persia series was released by Broderbund. In 2001, Ubisoft acquired the rights to this series and rebooted it. We go back in time to the first version and then subsequently to the original trilogy. Jordan Mechner introduced Prince of Persia to the world in 1989, inspired by the stories of One Thousand and One Nights and films like the first Indiana Jones and Robin Hood.

The animations in the first version were developed through the fascinating art of rotoscoping, a technique that has evolved into a captivating motif. The sequel, Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame, continued under the supervision of Mechner himself and Broderbund. As technology advanced in the subsequent years, Mechner, now operating under different subsidiaries, unveiled Prince of Persia 3D in 1999. Unfortunately, this version did not quite measure up to the quality set by its two predecessors.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Series

Following this setback, Ubisoft stepped onto the stage by acquiring Broderbund. Despite the shift in ownership, Mechner retained the intellectual property rights to the series, entering a collaboration with Ubisoft for the inception of the new series. Together, they embarked on the creation of the first version, The Sands of Time, likely serving as the initial introduction to the Persian Prince for many enthusiasts.

The Sands of Time proved to be a triumphant revival for Prince of Persia, reigniting public interest. However, dissatisfaction with the development team’s inclination toward a darker tone and heightened violence in a potential sequel prompted Mechner’s departure. The subsequent release, Warrior Within, marked the second version of the revived series but fell short of winning critical acclaim despite robust sales. However, the success of the second version paved the way for the development of the next!

However, the creators of the third version, released in 2005 under the name The Two Thrones, attempted to strike a delicate balance and blend elements from the previous two games; a slightly brighter and cartoonish environment combined with the rough and dark themes! Finally, the fourth version of the series, titled The Forgotten Sands, arrived in 2010 to fill in the narrative gaps left by the previous games.

Other Versions of Prince of Persia

Before the release of The Forgotten Sands in 2006, a separate team at Ubisoft was busy creating the second reboot of this series. This reboot, released in 2008, had much greater spiritual fidelity than the original 1989 version. A direct sequel to the main game was also released in the same year for the Nintendo DS console under the name Prince of Persia: The Fallen King, but its impact is not extensively discussed.

Battles of Prince of Persia is considered as a strategy game, among other works of this series. The Classic version, released in 2007 for mobile users, is another lesser-known entry in the Prince of Persia series. There are multiple mobile versions of PoP, and the latest one to date is Prince of Persia: Escape 2, released in 2022.

A Fresh Start After Two Generations

Original series fans, considering the history and quality they expect, cannot easily enjoy the mobile games of Prince of Persia. Unfortunately, after the release of the 2010 version, all AAA versions of this series faced significant obstacles and never saw the light of day. Prince of Persia Redemption, in production in the early 2010s, was never released.

After years of anticipation and two gaming generations, Ubisoft announced a remake of Sands of Time in 2020. After several prolonged delays, it is currently known that this game has not been released until 2023. Fortunately, another version of this series is also in development, set to be released in early 2024. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, contrary to common belief, is neither a sequel nor a prelude.

Even the main character is not the Prince himself, and players take on the role of a “guardian” in the world of Prince of Persia. The gameplay of this game does not follow a third-person perspective, and gamers must look forward to experiencing a 2.5D side-scrolling adventure game.

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