Prince of Persia
A video game franchise centered on a Persian prince.
Prince of Persia is a video game franchise that began with Jordan Mechner. The series follows different versions of a character called the Prince, with stories set in ancient and medieval Persia. The first game came out in 1989, and the second, *Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame*, followed in 1993, both published by Broderbund. The third main game, *Prince of Persia 3D* (1999), was the first in the series to use 3D graphics; it was developed by Red Orb Entertainment and published by The Learning Company on PC, with a Dreamcast version by Avalanche Software and Mattel Interactive. Ubisoft acquired the franchise rights in 2001 and rebooted it with *Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time* in 2003. Since then, Ubisoft has released five more main entries: *Warrior Within* (2004), *The Two Thrones* (2005), a second reboot simply called *Prince of Persia* (2008), *The Forgotten Sands* (2010), and *The Lost Crown* (2024). There have also been spin-offs and mobile games, many by Gameloft. A remake of *The Sands of Time* was announced in 2020 but was cancelled in early 2026. Outside of games, the franchise includes a film, a graphic novel, and a Lego toy line. Ubisoft’s *Assassin’s Creed* series is seen as its spiritual successor.
The original game was made by Mechner after *Karateka*. He drew inspiration from *One Thousand and One Nights*, *Raiders of the Lost Ark*, and *The Adventures of Robin Hood*. The Prince’s animation used rotoscoping, with Mechner’s brother as the model. The first *Prince of Persia* was ported to over 20 platforms, making it one of the most ported games ever. Mechner later studied film at New York University, where he made an award-winning short film, before returning to direct the sequel. *Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame* was developed internally at Broderbund under Mechner’s supervision and was critically and commercially successful. Broderbund was then bought by The Learning Company, which was later acquired by Mattel Interactive. In 1999, *Prince of Persia 3D* was released under Broderbund’s Red Orb label. It came out on PC and Dreamcast, was criticized for bugs, and sold poorly. The Broderbund/Learning Company games division, including the *Prince of Persia* rights, was then sold to Ubisoft.
Mechner, who still owned the franchise’s intellectual property, worked with Ubisoft on the reboot *The Sands of Time*, despite
- creator
- Jordan Mechner
- first_release
- 1989
- genre
- Action-adventure
- publisher
- Broderbund (original), Ubisoft (since 2001)
- notable_entries
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003), Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (2024)
Lore & Background
The first game in the series was created by Jordan Mechner after the success of Karateka. Drawing from multiple general sources of inspiration, including the One Thousand and One Nights stories, and films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Adventures of Robin Hood, the protagonist's character animation was created using a technique called rotoscoping, with Mechner using his brother as the model for the titular prince. The original Prince of Persia, with its more than 20 platform ports, is one of the most ported games in video game history. Mechner enrolled in New York University's film department, producing an award-winning short film during his time there, before returning to design and direct a sequel to the original game. The sequel, Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame, was developed internally at Broderbund with Mechner's supervision. The game, like its predecessor, received critical acclaim and high sales. Broderbund was subsequently purchased by The Learning Company, which was later acquired by US game company Mattel Interactive. In 1999, Prince of Persia 3D was developed and released under Broderbund's Red Orb label. Released for PC and the Dreamcast only, it was criticized by many users as being buggy, and was a commercial disappointment. The Broderbund/Learning Company's games division, the assets of which included the Prince of Persia franchise, was subsequently sold to Ubisoft.
Reader's Guide
The Prince of Persia franchise has undergone several transformations since its inception. After the commercial disappointment of Prince of Persia 3D, Ubisoft bought the rights in 2001 and rebooted the series with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in 2003, which was developed with Mechner's involvement. This reboot led to a trilogy including Warrior Within and The Two Thrones, though Mechner did not take part in the production of Warrior Within and found its dark atmosphere and heightened violence unappealing. The franchise was rebooted again in 2008 with a game simply titled Prince of Persia, and later saw a major installment in 2024 with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, a 2.5D side-scrolling platformer introducing a new protagonist, Sargon. Outside of games, the franchise includes a film adaptation, a graphic novel, and the Lego Prince of Persia toyline. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise is considered to be the spiritual successor to the series. A remake of The Sands of Time was announced in 2020 but cancelled at the beginning of 2026.
Did You Know?
- The original Prince of Persia is one of the most ported games in video game history, with more than 20 platform ports.
- Jordan Mechner used his brother as the model for the titular prince through rotoscoping.
- A remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was announced in 2020 but cancelled at the beginning of 2026.
- Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise is considered the spiritual successor to the Prince of Persia series.
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