Prince of Persiacreator Jordan Mechner offered some humorous commentary on the recent fan backlash againstPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown. ThenewPrince of Persiagame was announcedat the 2023 Summer Game Fest to a largely positive live audience response, but the initial online reactions to its reveal appeared to skew negative.
In the days that followed its unveiling, the firsttrailer forPrince of Persia: The Lost Crownwas flooded with dislikes, as many fans apparently took issue with some of Ubisoft Montpellier’s creative choices. As of June 13, over a dozen of the trailer’s most liked comments on YouTube are all criticizing the developers over everything from the video’s inclusion of rap music to the protagonist’s hairstyle.
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The series creator, Jordan Mechner, subsequently took online to comment on the backlash concerning the appearance of the game’s main character, Sargon. In a June 12 tweet, Mechner shared images of 25 past renditions of the series' protagonists, including everyone from the original 8-bit hero to Jake Gyllenhaal’s live-action portrayal of the iconic prince and even a LEGO version of the character. He labeled the collage as “an official style sheet” for designing aPrince of Persiahero, cheekily concluding that this varied array of images will hopefully help settle any future character design debates among the fandom.
Although Mechner’s commentary serves as a reminder that a radical protagonist redesign is nothing new for the franchise, it’s worth highlighting thatPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown’sSargon is not the titular prince but a new addition to the lore. As such, comparing his appearance to any past rendition of the actual Persian prince may be an exercise in futility.
WhileMechner often said he’s always open to making morePrince of Persiagames, he doesn’t have an active role in the development ofThe Lost Crown. But seeing how Ubisoft Montpellier has a pretty stellar track record encompassing critically acclaimed experiences such asRayman Origins,Beyond Good and Evil, andValiant Hearts: The Great War, it’s safe to say that the upcomingPrince of Persiatitle is in good hands.
The game itself is touted as a 2.5D Metroidvania with a large open world and immense gameplay variety. Its story follows Sargon and his band of warriors on a quest to rescue the titular Persian prince, who has been kidnapped. Given how the game is seemingly signaling a return to the series' 2D platforming roots, some fans alreadyseePrince of Persia: The Lost Crownas a sigh of relief for the long-dormant franchise.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownlaunches Jul 28, 2025, on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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