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Facebook X Reddit Flipboard Email 0 us Wes Fenlon I started working PC Gamer in I began what I didn't the time would a bit of a A few weeks before the Francisco Game Developer's that year, I sent the of one of PC gaming's first Prince of Persia, an email if he'd be in Jordan Mechner politely that he wouldn't be making the from his home in to Francisco that year. But I trying the rolled back thinking maybe this would be the the stars aligned. It a decade, but in 2024 we made it happen: Mechner joined a I hosted alongside other from designing PC games in the '80s '90s to explore their careers. Afterward, we talked more just one-on-one—but in the aftermath of the conference, that interview ended up making its online. So here it now, covering his autobiographical novel, why we may have seen the last of game The Last Express, how every of fans now has its Prince of Persia. Latest Videos Gamer Watch full video The many princes of Persia this interview conducted, Ubisoft hadn't canceled its remake of Prince of Persia: The of Time, which would've the first new 3D game in the series in years. The latest 2D game, The Crown, still fresh, would be after our conversation another 2D game, The Rogue Prince of Persia. PC Gamer: interesting to see different of the Prince existing simultaneously now, though Prince of Persia has evolved many times over its (Image credit: Ubisoft) Jordan I think the Montpellier team made smart choices with The Crown, Prince of Persia as a 2D Metroidvania, with an emphasis the fantastic elements the visual that harks back to anime. also of the early 2D Prince of Persia games of the first of Time. Even fans of the Prince of Persia, I think, will find in the a lot of visual elements things that will make this like a Prince of Persia game to them in the best With no risk of it being with a photorealistic, fully 3D AAA of game. Do you in videogames? From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry featuring in-depth news, analysis exclusive interviews I the Prince of Persia. That game got a bad rap: were like 'it plays You don't have to do anything.' But I thought the of the movement in that game just incredible. I it. to be part of something that's so many lives.Jordan Mechner the visuals are beautiful. There's, there's a lot to like the Prince of Persia, from my vantage point, from what I from fans, it has its own devoted, following. Just as much as the of Time trilogy, the original 2D game. That's the funny thing Prince of Persia: That constituencies are so separate, that there's all of those. then there's the Prince of Persia movie, for many people, especially are around 30 years today, the Prince of Persia movie Prince of Persia for them, weren't the right age to have any of the games. There's a new of gamers for The Crown will be the first Prince of Persia encounter. to be part of something that's so many lives. Prince of Persia: The Crown (Image credit: Ubisoft) surreal for me to you say the 'Metroidvania' such a gamer genre, but it also didn't you made the original. Of course, I made Prince of Persia the same time that Castlevania were being made. So a term that didn't we didn't have genres in those days in the that we do now. I think all of we would have called platform games games. I don't know if you Castlevania: Symphony of the other version of a Metroidvania? What did it like for you made a platformer that set a lot of precedents, that genre evolving over the years? a Metroidvania player—I would say Prince of Persia: The Crown actually the first Metroidvania game that into as a player. I'm just it so much. As a 2d gamer, games that stand to me are Inside Limbo, which I thought were beautiful. I also enjoyed of the Rayman games. Do you remember much Prince of Persia 3D? Did you that game that game all? That an internal Broderbund So I wasn't the team, but I knew I Broderbund I making Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow the Flame, which my Broderbund Prince of Persia game. After that I the idea to do a third episode of the in 2D. But this 1993, tthe of online multiplayer shooters, so a 2D game just of didn't excite publishers, the it a earlier. So of that, I created Smoking Productions The Last Express. While we were making The Last Express, then I think partly looking Tomb came around to the idea of Prince of Persia as a 3D game. I wasn't involved, but wished them me in the loop. Prince of Persia 3D - What Happened? - Watch Do you remember playing that one? I the first two It PC, I a Mac gamer. So it wasn't my genre, I didn't have a PC that enough to enjoy it. So I only a bit of it. Today I surprisingly often from gamers that enjoyed Prince of Persia 3D have memories of it. So we should probably that to the list of versions of Prince of Persia that each have their camp. it, but I'm curious now to back. It sounds like there wasn't you directly from it. But I'm curious what going in that time between Prince of Persia 3D out, you making your own 3D version with of Time? I Tomb I I impressed. It blew my mind: it the first real-time 3D game I'd seen. I making The Last the time, which a very different of game. But Tomb I thought 'well we don't need to do Prince of Persia in 3D now. just done it. great.' But Tomb then Prince of Persia 3D a few years later, my as a gamer that I missed the speed of 2d gaming. up to the edge of a block trying to point in the right direction, then missing the jump, as a gamer I just more playing the 2D games. Of course, this a stage in the evolution of 3D. So I the Ubisoft Montreal team in 2002, pitched the idea of a Prince of Persia for the 2 generation, my first reservation 'how well this going to in 3D?' (Image credit: Ubisoft) The from of Time to Warrior Within—the mandate to it from Teen to M a marketing It wasn't the team's idea.Jordan Mechner That reservation blown I the first animation tests the chance to the team we all got excited the possibility of taking the using parkour sort of du Soleil acrobatics. So than just walking into the edge of a platform, up jumping, you could chain together with fluidity. Plus the fantastic innovation of being able to press a the controller rewind your gameplay in time. Those two things together were so that I jumped board this project to write the script story. The that we created with a dagger that can turn back time, an constructed to take advantage of to gameplay elements of the rewind the parkour. How did your relationship with Ubisoft originally about? Yves Guillemot called me in That'll do it. Ubisoft just acquired Broderbund's games he said 'we have a new studio in Montreal that like to talk to you a new Prince of Persia gaming for the new of consoles. Ubisoft trivia, as the European distributor of Broderbund's games the time of The Last Express. But of that just the beginning. grew quickly were one of the largest, fastest growing game studios just opened the studio in Montreal, which also growing Making of - Prince of Persia: The of Time - Watch You mentioned the time mechanic, which a huge part of that game. The thing I remember it that I the narrative flourish of the Prince going, no, that's what happened' you would die to rewind. Do you remember how that bit came about? That one of the most interesting aspects for me as a the idea that the entire game would be told in past voiceover narration. I inspired films from the '40s, like Double Sunset Boulevard, which start with the voiceover the tone. sort of a somber tone, the telling the after something terrible has happened. There's an it. You know that as you to the end, you're going to find out, it comes brings you up to the present moment you're going to see the telling the to In of Time, you find that the prince telling the to Farah, why so urgent that she So this a sort of an experimental technique, one question 'Is it going to work? are players going to find it frustrating to the voice of their talking while screen trying to do something trying to solve a puzzle?' But it did It worked beautifully. then of course, the question of how does this with the possibility that you can die game over? It just natural. The whole thing a being So even though the player just got killed, that narration can 'No, wait, I didn't fall that ledge, I just got for a moment.' such an elegant to if you're trying to give the player a clue, just the talking to themselves. That technique works The voiceover let us do so many things that are what we could do just in the moment-to-moment gameplay alone. It fills the of the story, gives you more of a of the prince's also develops the relationship between the Prince Farah, their banter the arguments would without to any additional animations. After of Time did you think the next Prince of Persia again, were you ready to to a new thing? just done the game The of Time, I excited pitching that to studios as a movie. It Bruckheimer went for it. then I fully involved for the next of years as the first screenwriter of the Prince of Persia movie. While I that, the of Time team that I'd worked with went to create what going to be the next-gen Prince of Persia to The of Time, originally called Prince of Persia Assassin. there then a second team that sort of quickly, like in just a year, made Warrior then The Two Thrones. But as we know, Prince of Persia Assassin, a point, changed to Assassin's Creed, so from the point that it no Prince of Persia. I no more involvement. then, I to other projects back in Angeles. Assassin's Creed / Prince of Persia: - 2004 Prototype - Watch What did you think the time of The Warrior Within? As a original Prince of Persia, Warrior Within out, the music nu I like, what this? The from of Time to Warrior Within—the mandate to it from Teen to M a marketing It wasn't the team's idea. It wasn't my Yeah, I regret it. For gamers it have memories, it what it a lot of water under the bridge. But the time, I thought it to take such a radical turn from something that, in The of Time, worked well-received, won gamers it. Warrior Within iterated improved many aspects of the gameplay, the but in terms of the storytelling the tone, it a different direction. But that what marketing Assassin's Creed has Ubisoft's vehicle for 'let's to this in time depict it in detail.' What your perspective Assassin's Creed the time? It grew of Prince of Persia, but also to represent your interests so strongly. Were you like, I wish I working Assassin's Creed?' I honored that something that so huge has so long-lived came of Prince of Persia. That's the best thing a can wish for, to have something that takes a of its own just goes so far what one person could In my own in Prince of Persia, in The Last Express, in my novels, Liberty, Monte Templar, always fascinated creating fictional adventures set historical events. Alexandre the master of that. I adapted directly with the modern Monte Cristo. Replay, my memoir, deeply enmeshed with century but a true story. So I have my of things. As far as the Templar, funny I Assassin's Creed involved the Templars, I ironically deep into Templar, which a novel. But, of course, Ubisoft's approach their storytelling of using very different from mine. A panel from The Making of Templar, Mechner's (Image credit: Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, Puvilland) There one other bit of Prince of Persia that I'm curious if you any memories from: The Super version that done a Japanese developer, Arsys (Image credit: Katsuya Terada, Time Extension) The Super version the one with the cover [by Japanese artist Katsuya Did you over to Tokyo with Japanese developers? No, that the funny thing Prince of Persia, I didn't any of the ports. I any of the would just arrive one day, a cartridge that sent from Japan. this time I done with Prince of Persia I traveling back forth. I Broderbund we would around play [a new version of] the game be This before the internet so I in the loop it would be fax, I would envelopes filled with Xerox of faxes of design documents. the storyboard that the team in Japan sent us.' But it would all be in Japanese. For the first time I the experience that every other person in the Prince of Persia had.Jordan Mechner So I would it go, looks cool.' But I remember playing the Super version for the first time. with ports I would just pick up the joystick, play the first two say, 'okay, so that's how did it. Great.' There were too many ports too many versions for me to play the entire game each time, the time I it it too to have meaningful feedback anyway it I remember playing one of the Super version reaching a point where I like, 'wait a There wasn't a room here.' I realized that changed the actually doubled the length of time doubled the size of the game, I the of the movie of a that I written. That it going to be similar but different. For the first time I the experience that every other person in the Prince of Persia Of a for the first time that hadn't built themselves a million times in knowing what around each corner. I like, 'Wow, I like I a chance to play this game as a From The Last to the You're immersed in the days, have a number of that where your passion right now? Comics were sort of my first passion as a kid. I already 12 years the II Space Invaders the scene. Before that I deeply into comics. Thanks to Prince of Persia, with a movie in 2010 then the opportunity to do like Templar, as a writer in with artists now drawing again of full circle. I so lucky to have the chance to in all of media that video games, movies, as Are there other moments in your that Prince of Persia, one of your other games, opened the connected you with a person that, in hindsight, you can scarcely Too many to count. the Prince of Persia movie set, in Morocco, film legends: enjoyed their films, then one after another them me their childhood experience playing Prince of Persia. even as an adult. Sometimes that I would have One surreal moment a friend of mine's movie shoot, the set William Hurt in his trailer, being to the as he's being called to set going he playing The Last his PC in his trailer. That a surreal moment. point, Verhoeven maybe going to make a Last movie. What happened? Yes, so I adapted Last as a feature film for That around 2011. That amazing. One of my favorite He's probably best known for Robocop his big films, but for me he went back to Europe just an film the Dutch resistance War 2. I think he in so many ways the director for Last Express. We didn't to make the movie, but I least the wonderful experience of the script with him. That movie could have amazing if he directed it. What the situation with The Last today? Do you have the to the game? I Have you thought a remaster? Would it even be possible to take the surviving assets upscale them to 4K modern That seems like it could be a huge undertaking. That's a great The Last technically a very challenging development the time, but I think with technology, there are so many aspects of that that will easier. We have the original assets we shot millimeter film, using blue then transferred to digital. All of the film the D-1 are the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester. So all of that's We have the sound files, the actors' So I think all of the assets to do a remastered Last are there. Of course, it would take a team that wants to do it. that something you would be in? I the that you often do a project then you 'Okay, to what's next.' returning to a game that already spent years making in order to years remastering it, that's my highest priority. that I wouldn't enjoy it. But there are too many new things that I to create that only I can You were based here in Francisco you were working The Last Express, right? Yeah, also while I making Prince of Persia. I lived in Heights I driving across the to Marin. I'd love to that time in your life, working games here what the games industry in Francisco I'm from New York originally, so I first came to Francisco in 1984 for I just struck the beauty of it. The bay, the a clear day, just so dramatic so atmospheric. There's you know, there's a magic Francisco that I always appreciated. (Image credit: Jordan Mechner, MacMillan) the Prince of Persia years from like to '90, then I came back for The Last in 93 to '97/'98, each time the that the growing. The tech booms, every changed it. In the early '80s all of that new. There Lucasfilm, there the Skywalker ILM. then in the early '90s, of course, the internet starting. Always there saying] that 'if you'd only here years ago, the a magical place.' Already in the were like, yeah, but Francisco in the '70s, that's you wanted to be here.' Being from New York, I know that every has that. just after layer. But there a special energy in Francisco in the Where your studio? It Jackson Square, Jackson Street, Smoking Productions. We were right around the corner from the building, Coppola still there. We would sometimes see him in the around North Beach. we did the voice recording for Last in the There's sort of a of being part of Francisco its filmmaking, sound recording community we did the film shoot a small but vibrant community of technicians. The between the filmmaking, post-production community the tech, video game community that time, new. For many of the technicians worked The Last Express, it their first time working a game even finding what a game was. were often astonished to 'Wait, you have actors here? You're recording amounts of dialogue? You're actually focused the What's the story? This sounds like something of quality.' The idea that a game could be more than just blocky beeps buzzes, the general just becoming aware of this. Even other games that actors filmed the time, it almost always just for video sequences, right? just a big success reached a large general were struck the images like no game they'd ever seen then the to digitized video, composited. There The But for The Last Express, we were something different. I didn't it to like digitized video. That's why we shot millimeter film rotoscoped it to give the impression of animated line art. Did you have in that you were going to The Last with if the game a financial hit? The protagonist, conceived as a hero could have a series of adventures, like Jones Corto Maltese. Of course, we only did that one but definitely plenty of other adventures historical periods in for him. Maybe a Funny you should mention that. Hopefully a two from now, we'll be talking a The Last novel. You've got to Digital Eclipse developed The Making of Karateka] to the remaster for the game to time it with the novel. a Digital Eclipse remaster of The Last would be awesome. That would be so cool. The to the stories are the are in the Strong Museum of Play. It just needs somebody with a studio to say, this what we to do.'
Readers following the wider topic will recognise several familiar threads here, and further updates are expected as more becomes known. Nothing above should be read as speculation beyond what the reporting itself supports.