Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is set out to reclaim “lost fans”. Ubisoft animation director Jan-Erik Sjovall in an interview with CVG stated that they have “lost so many Prince of Persia players to God of War.
“When we make questionnaires and we ask, ‘what did you play in the past?’ The answer’s ‘Prince of Persia‘. ‘What do you play now?’ ‘God of War‘. ‘Would you play Prince of Persia again?’ ‘No, it’s not hard enough’. So the idea [with Forgotten Sands] was clearly that we’d try to bring our old audience back, but also we’re winning a new audience.”
“A lot of people ask, ‘will you have gore in the game?’ It’d fairly interesting. We want to have interesting fight sequences in there but not indulge in the violence like God of War does. We want to keep it interesting so the acrobatics, the story and the whole look are all supporting each other and people go, ‘yeah, I want to play that game’.”
Whether or not players have actually moved on is irrelevant. What should be noted is the fact that Ubisoft is trying to create an even more unique experience out of this “fan-stealing” fiasco. Yes, Prince of Persia could benefit from having an artistic overhaul, by having a darker story, more over-the-top fight scenes and gory animations. But, consider the possibility of this new approach strengthening the Prince of Persia universe.
With an increased focus on character development, strong storylines, and beautiful parkour elements, should draw long time fans and newcomers alike. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will hit stores in May, “with a new storyline, the introduction of new characters, and new powers over nature and time.”
