Ubisoft has announced a remake of its classic Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time game, appropriately called Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.
The original action-adventure platformer was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and released in 2003 on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PC. Remake, meanwhile, is being handled by India’s Ubisoft Pune.
The Sands of Time Remake follows an unnamed prince as he works to save his kingdom from a mystical threat he inadvertently caused. One of the original game’s signature gameplay mechanics was the ability to use an artifact called the Dagger of Time to rewind gameplay, which was used in platforming sections and combat. Naturally, the Dagger is back in the remake, and functions the same. The sword-based combat also makes a return.
Visually, the game sports modern graphics, although it’s got a bit of a cartoonish look. Motion-capture is also being done for the game to bring it up to modern standards, with Yuri Lowenthal once again voicing the titular prince. 4K HDR support will also be offered on PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X.
The Sands of Time remake will release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on January 21st, 2021.
The existence of a remake of The Sands of Time remake isn’t exactly a surprise, given that — in typical Ubisoft game fashion — it was leaked ahead of the reveal. It’s also worth noting that The Sands of Time received a PS3-exclusive HD remaster in 2010.
That said, it’s been 10 years since the release of the last mainline Prince of Persia game, 2010’s generally well-received The Forgotten Sands. Since then, fans have clamoured for a new Prince of Persia title, but the franchise has largely gone dormant, outside of a mobile remake in 2013 and a VR escape room
It’s possible that Ubisoft is looking to gauge interest in the Prince of Persia series through a remake before developing a new title entirely. That’s a similar strategy adopted by Activision with the Crash Bandicoot series, which is getting a brand-new mainline entry, Crash Bandicoot 4: About Time, next month after successful remakes of the original Crash trilogy and Crash Team Racing.
Hopefully, this will pave the way for more Prince of Persia games.
Note: Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot issued a public apology in a video prior to the company’s Ubisoft Forward presentation, addressing reports of harassment, sexual misconduct and racial insensitivity at the company. This video was not included in the Ubisoft Forward presentation.
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