A generation of this game production has come out, and the franchise is now making a comeback. Simultaneously, the Sand of Time remake developers say they are really putting in their best efforts, putting all their heart and soul into resurrecting this classic. The official Prince of Persia Twitter announced that the team is full-on in development, working on something that will truly respect the classic and at the same time bring it up to the present day.
The tweet read, “Yep, we’re still deep in the game — exploring, building, and ensuring the sands move with purpose,” giving a peek into the development process. The tweet referred to the dedication behind the scenes, mentioning that “hearts (and a lot of coffee)” are going into it. Surely Ubisoft Montreal is quietly handling this, making for a great deal of excitement and nerve-wracking anticipation from fans.
Well, how would those words come true for the long-awaited remake, then? To state first, the life of the project has been confirmed after a long silence since the announcement, basically establishing the existence of the project in-between its lengthy absence following its very first announcement. In the meantime, with the original Sands of Time still cruising at cult status, the remake is an enormous burden to carry on, especially as expectations have been mounting.
Naturally, the tweet did not lay down anything definite or spill on a release window. But boy-oh-boy has the reaction been anything but lukewarm, with waves of excitement, waves of nostalgia, and just a few spicy comments here and there. From the get-go, the team was bombarded with demands from players, the most popular ones seeing some players saying the 2008 Prince of Persia should be ported to modern platforms: “The 2008 version would look gorgeous in 4K60 with HDR,” one fan commented. There were then calls for a real physical release with the entire game on a disc—none of that online-only stuff.
Now, the skeptics had their say. “This game is never coming out,” pretty plainly stated one user, echoing the frustration felt by some posing as jaded fans who have been waiting for this ever since the remake was initially teased. Following up, another user asked; questioning whether at this point it would even get a release on last-gen consoles anymore, considering that development has already been dragged on so long.
And most others just choked on pure hype! “Take your time! Just make it right,” said one fan, paraphrasing the common feeling of giving up some extra waiting time for an incredible title over tons of waiting time for an average one. Another said: “I can’t wait! It’ll be a day one for me,” a stark approval signifying the recent fade of positivity within the Prince of Persia fandom.
An unexpected reveal: the tweet also helped clear up some confusion around who exactly the developers are. One fan wondered if the same studio behind the recent Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was handling the Sands of Time remake—well, turns out nope. Lost Crown was developed by Ubisoft Montpellier-admire very much the fast-paced Metroidvania style that has cemented worthy acclaim-while Sands of Time is being done by Ubisoft Montreal.
So what’s next? Official release date is still unknown, but you could glean all you need to know from the tone of the message: they’re working on it; they want to get it right. Will that be this year or the next? Still ways in the air but far from being stuck in limbo.
Until then, fans will have to hold and maybe start another run of the original Sands of Time HD to fill that void. Because if anything was confirmed by that tweet, it’s that the Prince is definitely not dead-he just continues to ‘take his time.’ Once again.
