35 Years Later, Prince of Persia’s Legacy is Stronger Than Ever

Released for the Apple II on October 3, 1989, the first Prince of Persia was an immediate critical hit, garnering acclaim for its groundbreaking rotoscoping animation techniques that gave the game’s platforming a sense of realism that hadn’t been achieved before. Prince of Persia was quickly ported to just about every console and PC iteration at the time, making it one of the most prolific games of its era. 35 years later, the Prince of Persia franchise has come a long way.

In the decade following the original’s release, Prince of Persia would receive two sequels, both of which received middling reviews. The franchise was rebooted with 2003’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, still widely considered to be one of the best entries in series history. But then along came some disappointing sequels and even more reboots, and Prince of Persia found itself on ice. But this year, Prince of Persia made its triumphant return, and arguably, the series is bigger and better than it’s ever been before.

35 Years On, Prince of Persia Is Back, and Bigger Than Ever

Prince of Persia Has Had an Impressive Comeback Year

After a 14-year-long hiatus, the Prince of Persia franchise returned earlier this year with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. A 2.5D Metroidvania with some incredible platforming mechanics, smooth animations, engaging combat, and a distinct art style, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was the return to form that fans had been waiting over a decade for.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, just a few months after Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown‘s release in January, The Rogue Prince of Persia was announced. A 2D roguelike action-platformer, The Rogue Prince of Persia hit Steam early access in May, and it’s continued to receive a consistent stream of updates since launch, bringing new enemies, weapons, biomes, and story content to the game at a steady pace.

A key similarity between these two 2024 Prince of Persia projects – and a core strength of both – is that they hearken back to the original 1989 game while still pushing the franchise forward in significant ways. For instance, The Rogue Prince of Persia and The Lost Crown feature a 2D perspective and emphasize smooth platforming mechanics and animations, just as the original 1989 game did 35 years ago. But these games also feature plenty of modern bells and whistles that were needed to make the franchise stand out in the modern market.

Prince of Persia Might Be Here to Stay

During the Ubisoft Forward showcase back in June, Prince of Persia had a dedicated section all to itself. Along with a DLC announcement for The Lost Crown, Ubisoft also confirmed that the long-awaited Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake is still in development. While Ubisoft is in some troubled waters at the minute, it seems likely that The Sands of Time remake will eventually release, and that means that the Prince of Persia franchise is here to stay for at least a little while longer.

Though it took over a decade to return, Prince of Persia has enjoyed a triumphant return in 2024, and its 35th birthday is now one to remember.