This generation has not been kind to the Prince.
After disappointing sales of it the 2008 reboot, simply titled "Prince of Persia," and the failure of the movie-tie in "Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands," Ubisoft has decided to "pause" the series, according to comments made Tuesday by Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat.
"Brand management is a tricky thing," he said. "It needs people's attention a lot. I think it is fair to say that, right now, 'Prince of Persia' is being paused. But we said the same thing for other brands that suddenly popped up because a team is willing to do it."
This is sad news for fans of the Persian platformer, which had a strong resurgence during the last generation with three solid outings. When the Nolan North-voiced reboot his in 2008, it was met with initial skepticism, but was ultimately well received by reviewers and fans. The only thing holding it back was its simplistic platforming. But its unique visual design, somewhat interesting story and engaging characters lifted it above the average dreck that it could have become. Fans have since been clamoring for a sequel, especially following its cliffhanger ending in both the retail game, and its downloadable epilogue. That doesn't look like it will happen any time soon. But Mallat said fans need not fear.
"I'm not scared at all for 'Prince of Persia' fans," he said. "We'll find something to entertain them with in the future. 'Prince of Persia' is part of Ubisoft's portfolio. As a matter of fact, we some times iterate on franchises and some times we give them time to breath and time to grow, or time to rest."
His comments point to some type of resurgence during the next generation of consoles. It's not unlike Ubisoft franchises to drop off the radar for extensive amounts of time, and resurface later. A leaked image surfaced last year of what was reported to be "Prince of Persia Zero," another reboot. But Ubisoft remained mum on the photo and nothing more was ever said.
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