Prince of Persia turned 36 this year; since in video game age, that makes it yesterday’s vintage. The official Prince of Persia Twitter handle tweeted the whole month away with a blank tweet stating, “It’s October, you know what that means!” A fire emoji followed. And yes, gamers do know what it really means. It means yet another year has slipped by while everyone who ever lived is still wondering how, in God’s name, the Sands of Time remake is progressing.
Prince of Persia came into this world in the year 1989. It was massively a side-scrolling platformer before the general public was even aware of such a game. Care to think about the age of the series? Just one question and one thought dominated the entire celebration over social media: Where. Is. The. Remake.
Right after that tweet, the floodgates opened. @RinoTheBouncer put it in strong words: “Still waiting for The Sands of Time remake.” @Luke_Crute came with another jibe, “How about that sand of time release date then to celebrate?!” Meanwhile, @acare84 was the most straightforward of the lot: “Where is the info for the remake?” These were almost like cries of shame that deprived the celebration of a genuine birthday vibe.
And it’s not a new complaint. The remake was announced back in 2020. It was supposed to be huge, a ground-up remake of the adored 2003 game that essentially set the template for 3D platforming and adventure for the next generation. But then…radio silence. Delays. Rumors of development hell. @rich8606 set the scene from the start, saying it was ‘supposed to come out January 2021 & then they rebooted it.’ He, a self-proclaimed ex-3D artist, said with a note of incredulity, ‘Why [would] it [take] 4 years and 9 months to upgrade already existing design.’
The conversation now became purely geeky. @kyfareek tried to explain from within: when the Indian studio was initially working on it, it was so bad that Ubisoft itself trashed the whole project and literally started from zero; hence, big delays. Then @rich8606 contrasted it by mentioning that Metal Gear Solid Delta was announced in 2023 and, in less than two years, would have been released, pondering aloud why Ubisoft, a company with a “gazilion of dollars,” according to @kyfareek, can’t get it together to do the same. Now there goes the question. Is this finally going to be the cheap up-res or is it going to be a full-blown-from-the-ground-up remake like the awesome Resident Evil 2 remake? Gamers are worried it’s going to be the former.
But more importantly, it’s about much more than that remake. The anniversary tweet shed some light on the franchise’s legacy and everything attached to it. A few players started shouting out to their favorites. @TR_Delight93 gave the shout-out to the “Peak is warrior within and the two thrones.” That is kind of mainstream—the darker, grittier sequels to Sands of Time have huge cult followings. @Olumide301 just shouted “Still need that 2008 sequel,” referring to the cel-shaded reboot that ended on a cliffhanger and never fully realized. And then there was @Jimiken_ lusting for a sequel to The Lost Crown, vehemently calling it “unironically one of the greatest games ever made” while lamenting what happened to the development team.
And then there’s also the whole issue of wanting to get their hands on the old games again. @JooMato81590208 begged, “Please release all pop games on back compat for Xbox. I’ll buy them all again.” You could only imagine how somewhat strange it is that in 2024, even celebrating 36 years, it is still awkwardly hard for most of the iconic games of the series to be actually played on modern hardware. @uberbadawesome lays it all out in the open: “It’s crazy that there’s no remaster of the Sands of Time games to celebrate.” Like, hello? Seems like an easy win to me.
So, what are we to take from this? The Prince of Persia saga harbors a very vocal, deep, and passionate pool of fans who remember each game, every plot bit, and every cliffhanger. They aren’t simply nostalgic; they are invested. However, that investment is now being put to the test by a yearning silence from the very project everyone was promised. The 36th anniversary should be a victory lap spent digging into a legendary run.
Instead, the ruling sentiment amongst players is one of impatient anticipation, mixed with a heavy dose of concern. Ubisoft has a gem of a franchise in its hands, but the community awaits the first sign that the company remembers how to make it shine. Maybe next October will finally bring the sign that will quench the hunger of the fanbase and give Ubisoft a worthy reason to celebrate. Or, we’re going to be having this conversation again.
