The reincarnation of the forgotten prince in Mumbai, Pune studios
Years ago, a young man called Jordan Mechner decided to record his brother running, and digitized the movement that later became famous. Jordan named the game Prince of Persia that fueled many minds and revolutionized the video game industry. This French video game was developed by Ubisoft and was running ahead of its time.
Back in 2003, the fourth version Prince of Persia: Sands Of Time became very popular in youth with its new graphics that also spiked PS2 sales while most of the players were still stuck with the cassettes. This action-packed game is getting reincarnated after seventeen years by the hands of Ubisoft India Studios.
AAA gaming title
More than 170 employees from Mumbai and Pune Ubisoft studios have spent over two years to bring back the forgotten game; Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. For the first time, AAA gaming title will be developed in India. AAA games are those having higher development and marketing budgets.
Jean-Philippe Pieuchot, MD, Ubisoft India Studios, showcased the trailer last week and announced January 21, 2021, its release date.
“With this remake, Ubisoft has pioneered AAA expertise in India – leading to our first end to end console production in the country. This milestone paves the road to the future of the Indian gaming industry.”
The gaming giant Ubisoft provided work-from-home equipment and support to finish the line falling under the COVID-19 cloud.
The top-notch game
Although the first look of the trailer isn’t very promising, in terms of graphics, the remake game director Pierre-Sylvain Gires assures the game will be top-notch and polished by the release.
The team is using Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Anvil engine as a base but have revealed a lot of things around the engine to actually suit Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake.
“We wanted the game to have a unique look that served the purpose of the game. The narration and storyline [in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time] is a fantasy. It’s something that is close to the [Middle Eastern folk tale collection] One Thousand and One Nights feeling. So, it is intentional to have a unique look that serves the purpose of the game, with a new lighting approach [and more] saturation of the colors to help the magic and the fantasy of the story to actually pop from the screen”, said Gires.
Staying true to the 2003 original, Yuri Lowenthal returns as the voice and motion actor for the titular prince. A white actor voicing a Middle Eastern prince, a nostalgic play again! Additionally, Gires noted Supinder Wraich, a Candian actress of Indian origin for the voice of the female lead character of Farah.