With E3 quickly becoming a thing of the past, it’s up to other events to fill the absence that it’s left.Summer Game Fest was a significant point in the season’s gaming calendar, and it gave a glimpse at plenty of new titles that are coming to consoles and PC in the near future. The show opened withPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown, a new entry in the long-standing Ubisoft series that has been eerily quiet for well over a decade. A remake of the 2003 classicThe Sands of Timewas announced in September 2020, but so far nothing has materialized, which has left fans wondering what’s next.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownis the answer, and it looks remarkably different from the third-person action-adventure format that fans have become accustomed to in recent iterations. Adopting a 2D design, it looks to be returning to the franchise’s roots since the 1989 original used the same perspective. This could give Ubisoft the perfect excuse to return to the first game in the series for a remake, as the rapid rise of quality re-releases has proved to be a worthy way to get people invested—and re-invested—into a property.
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Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Goes Back to 2D
WithAssassin’s Creedstill leading the charge at Ubisoft, there’s more of a need forPrince of Persiato adopt a philosophy all its own. The former franchise took a lot of cues from the latter, and over timeAssassin’s Creedhas become known for its fluid third-person parkour mechanics, more so even thanPrince of Persia. There is still a desire for more games in the franchise, though, and while the much-anticipated remake ofThe Sands of Timeseems to be stuck in development limbo, the reveal ofPrince of Persia: The Lost Crownhas given fans something to get excited about, despite its 2D design hearkening back to the series' roots rather than its PS2 heyday.
The firstPrince of Persiawas released 34 years ago, and though it’s far from what the series would become, there’s a lot to like about it. That, too, uses a side-scrolling perspective, and does well to keep players entertained while using its (admittedly simple) mechanics.ShouldThe Lost Crownrelease in January 2024to critical and commercial acclaim, it implies that there is a market for 2D games in the series, and the 1989 debut provides the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the popularity of remakes, while also adhering to the Prince’s new direction.
Remakes are All the Rage in 2023
With games likeDead Space, Resident Evil 4, andSystem Shockall receiving comprehensive remakes in 2023, it’s clear that improving on past successes is a viable way to bring a game to new audiences.Prince of Persianeeds a hit, as the last all-new release came in 2010 withThe Forgotten Sands, and doing something completely from scratch would, naturally, bring a higher risk of failure than building on top of something that already provides a blueprint, no matter how basic.
Ubisoft could, and probably should, take artistic license as there’s not a lot to go on, but something as simple as using a similar art style or color palette could go a long way to bringing a sense of nostalgia to older players.The Sands of Timeremake was confirmed to not be ready for a 2023 release, and in the meantime the series could build a healthy rapport with gamers by returning to the original, starting from the bottom to forge a new legacy.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownlaunches on July 04, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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