Ask the Developer: Prince of Persia

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Hi all, my name is Ben Mattes and I’m the producer for Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia video game. We’re just about a week from the launch of Prince of Persia and all of us on the team are anxiously awaiting player feedback, monitoring all of the message boards and blogs we know of – we stay on top of the thoughts and questions going through the minds of the fans.

To that end we wanted to extend a special invitation to all of you readers here at the PlayStation.Blog. We know there might be things about the game you are interested in knowing more about or having explained in more detail, and we’re going to give you the chance to have those questions answered direct from the development team.

Any subject is open for discussion but of course we may not have the time to answer them all. Questions about Elika? The art style? Lessons learned during production? What sort of food we ate in the closing weeks on the project? Fire away in the comments below, and we’ll answer as many as we can in a follow-up post next week.

And, of course, pick up your copy of Prince of Persia on launch day and let us know your first and lasting impressions. There is nothing more rewarding or important for a developer then hearing what the players think.

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113 Comments

  • Hi Ben, thanks for the update, just a few questions really.

    1. Biggest concern, the framerate. Will it be smooth in the PS3 version? Because Assassin’s Creed was an eye sore sometimes where the framerate was never steady.

    2. Is there going to be anything else to do after the main quest is finished? Something that will give it replay value aside from doing the main quest again?

    3. Please tell me there is going to be a demo. Please?

  • Home support? (Yeah, im getting on this feature early.)
    Trophy support?
    Sixaxis support?
    In-game music?
    In-game internet browser?

    Im willing to bet not one of these is supported sadly. :/

    Sony, i love you guys – but you really need to start pushing these third party devs into adding these features. Like, really.

  • Oh, right. and Uncompressed audio!

    We need some PCM in this game as well.
    Oh, right.. 360 port.

    Any devs care to explain this to me? Games developed for the 360 always use Dolby Digital due to the hardware and software limitations on the console, but PS3 exclusives fully feature this. Are you guys compressing audio for both systems to make it fair or something? cause that would be bull. I always despise hearing that Dolby Digital crap of an excuse for audio in my games. Please, for the love of god, dont compress it on the PS3. You have the disc space… I dont see any reasoning to why we are still hearing Dolby…

  • Does this game have anything story-related to the previous games?

  • why did PoP classic sucks so bad? it has PSP graphics, no music, and we can’t even use the XMB music. I regret buying it.

    Please release an update or something, I loved the konami version on the snes :(

  • From where did you draw inspiration from (games or other) in this iteration of PoP?

    Some of the big reactions to date have been about the voice of the Prince. What led your team to choose such an American sounding voice actor, and was there any concern over people associating that voice to Nathan Drake?

  • what DID yall eat in the last couple of weeks??

  • as someone who has only played the first prince of persia as a shareware version on my 486 back in the day. i really enjoyed it… mainly because it was reminded me of aladin.
    what sort of experience do you think we will experience playing this game?
    is it slow paced, medium paced, fast paced, extreme turbo alpha paced?

    did any people that worked on assassins creed work on this game?

    what percentage of the level(assuming there are levels) is devoted to story? ie cut scenes?

  • That looks pretty cool

  • I loved the two trailers with the emo music (Sigur Rós, Sia) – will something like that be in the game or is it strictly an orchestral score?

  • oh also i just remembered is PoP going to have subtitles? i rly hope so b/c i have hearing loss and i wasnt able to fully appreciate ACs story like i wanted to

  • @53

    trophies are confirmed for this game

  • I want this game badly?

    How long will it last? Will it be in the short side or long?

  • I was very happy to hear that a new Prince of Persia game is coming (I’m a huge PS2 POP trilogy fan) and then I was very disappointed to hear you are leaving the old prince behind.

    Why did you choose to reset the story?
    If not going to use the same characters why not just start a new IP? Why did you decide to keep the Prince of Persia name?

  • @ Ben Mattes

    1-will this game HAVE SOME support for Sixaxis motion controller?

    2-will this game HAVE Remote Play SUPPORT?

    3-will this game support in game custom sound track?

    4-Will THIS GAME HAVE SOME support FOR Home service?

    5-Will THIS GAME HAVE SOME support FOR youtube uploading?

    6-Will THIS GAME HAVE SOME support FOR In-game internet browser?

    7-will this game HAVE In-game Screenshots SUPPORT.

  • Is there a mandatory install on the PS3 HDD prior to playing the game ?

    If yes, how big is it.

    Thanks :)

  • I know that your philosophy with Elika was to make someone that would never hold you back, so what’s to stop someone from just hiding in a corner and mashing the “Elika Button”?

  • 1. How many hours would it take to complete the game if you do everything?
    2. Is there a difficulty setting?
    3. Why was the choice of not dying picked?
    4. DLC?

  • @50 4. What is the prince’s name?
    it’s Prince Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Persia

    question: will the game have guns? how about trophies? the latter is the real serious question

  • Is it true that the download content will be a prequel to the story?

  • I just reserved my copy at lunch time away from work and have been a huge fan of the first Prince of Persia trilogy on the previous generation and I’m really looking forward to this game.

    Yes, onto the questions!

    1. I understand that this Prince of Persia uses the same engine that you utilized for Assassin’s Creed. What lessons have you learned from doing Assassin’s Creed and how have to applied this to Prince of Persia?

    2. Was one of the primary reasons why you selected the post-processing rendering for Prince of Persia done in order to differentiate itself from the previous trilogy (and hence, why this game is only called “Prince of Persia”)? (could be a yes or no question only)

    3. Is the retail release going to contain the developer diaries that you’ve posted on the official website?

    4. (Not really related) When will we hear about Assassin’s Creed 2?

    5. And finally… is Solid Snake going to be a playable character (Altair, who first used this engine, appears in MGS4 and has since been announced to appear on PoP)? :)

  • Is Prince of Persia going to become like Final Fantasy? Every new PoP game are we going to see a new Prince, a new princely power (controlling the sands of time, the gauntlet)and be set in a new fantastic version of Persia? Or is this the beginning of a new series set in the same universe?

  • will ubisoft support the ps3 alot more?If so how?is this the new trilogy of the prince?Any psp support from ubisoft coming?

  • w00t! i’m so excited for this game! I just hope its not disappointing like assassin’s creed

  • Is this entry in this new trilogy better than latter of the last trilogy. I swear I’m not even looking for an answer and will not bother to buy it on launch day you french bastards. I’ve suffered far enough with Warrior Within & the lackluster The Two Thrones.

  • the visual style of this game is crazy. i’m not into games where you have to deal with a support character cause they usually get in the way. hopefully there’s a demo that shows the game off as well as how the female support character works. i’ll decide then.

    what’s up with the next Rainbow Six? i know it’s soon but lets get on it. or more maps for Vegas 2 from classic Rainbow games.

  • Home support? (Yeah, im getting on this feature early.)
    Trophy support?
    Sixaxis support?
    In-game music?
    In-game internet browser?

  • Was their any inspiration (from a movie, tv show, other game, etc) for the story?

  • I haven’t played PoP since Sand of Time but I’ve always praised the series. Except for one thing. The support character in that game loved to take damage on purpose. And she nagged all the time. Drove me insane sometimes. But the series is still definitely one I suggest nonetheless.

  • I pre-ordered the game but i won’t be able to play it for awhile. My 60GB died on me last friday and i’m still waiting for sony to send my coffin. I got the yellow light of death =(

  • – PSP version? Or will it be a new story for the PSP?

    – what additional items are packaged with the limited edition versus the normal package?

    – DLC ??

  • 1. thanks for this new game ive always been a huge POP fan ever since Sands of Time
    2. the controls, i heard acrobatics are mainly contolled like Assassins creed as to where the analog and jump button take care of most of that but will more advanced techniques like wall run or grip fall require R1 or some other button like previous POP games to be performed once you have jumped, and is the framerate solid? thanks again and great job look forward to playing

  • Looks fun and the artistic direction in its graphics are something I want to see displayed on my screen. Can’t wait to try out this game.

  • how long is the game approximately?

  • Some basic questions:

    -Are you planning future DLC?
    -If so what context? Ive heard youre already doing an Altair skin (rumor?) but are you going to more than Dead Space did and offer gameplay and options like Bioshock (Ps3 only?) did?
    -Can we expect as much play time through the campaign on Normal difficulty as previous PoP titles? What about replay value? Any temptations making us play it again apart from the light collectible things?

    Also love the art style. Might have to pick this up at some point, when i have enough money and time.

  • What type of game is Prince Of Persia? I’m seriously wondering. I’ve watched some videos and I usually see the Prince run across a wall or something and then it’s switched back to combat and I never really understood what the game emphasizes on. Is it the platforming? The combat? The puzzles?

    Also what will keep the player engaged? Will we be able to find more weapons that changes the style of gameplay a little bit? Will we have these big WOW moments like God Of War? Will we gain new abilities?

    Also will this game by any chance support in-game custom music (as in music being played from the XMB menu while in-game)?

  • Please Answer honestly, ukpsm magazine said the game is repetitive( the boss). Is because of the 360 limitation(disk space) I mean AC was very repetitive. If it was an PS3 exclusive would the game be bigger(R2).

  • Are trophies going to be available at launch?

  • I need an honest answer from you guys

    is the new Prince of Persia the same type of game as Assassins Creed? meaning its the same game but with a different mask?

    why do I ask? because im a major PoP fan (at least since sands of time for PS2; bought the trilogy) and I bought Assassins Creed as well and even though AC wasnt that bad of a game, it wasnt that good either since it was basically doing the same thing over and over again with no real depth (imo) on the storyline

    so is this another Assassins Creed in disguise? (having a crappy story, repetitive gameplay, no real emotion to the game, etc) or is this game a true Prince of Persia at heart?

    I know its all a matter of opinion but I just want to hear your opinion (I’ve explained mine)

  • does this one have amazing CG videos like sands of time?

    why did you decide to change the game so much?

    any online features at all or DLC coming?

    are trophies supported or will they be?

    ///

    what are some funny/weird bugs that you encountered during development?

  • This game looks amazing! i pre ordered it a while ago… i never really played a Prince of persia other than the first one on PC but ive been waiting for this game impatiently.
    Plus its made from where i live, quebec! i hope its gonna be awesome!

  • I never played price of persia before. Is this a stand alone story?

  • 1.) Solid Snake in Prince of Persia? I second that request/question.

    2.) I hear that the PoP art style here does not use cel-shading. What are the actual techniques used?

    3.) What do you envision the significant PoP DLC will be like, and when can we expect it (ballpark)

    4.) What was the most significant feature/idea that had to be left on the cutting room floor in order to bring the game to fruition for December release?

  • Here’s a question for you.

    Why are you *deliberately* holding back content that could easily fit onto the Blu-Ray disc?

    Do you not feel that $60 is enough of our money for you?

    I do not like being deliberately bilked.

  • I am looking forward to this but how similar is this to Sands of Time?

    Sands of Time was magical! I loved every minute of it. I thought the story was put together very well. It was the Uncharted of last generation! I can’t to try this out but I am hoping it will give me the same feeling that Sands of Time did.

  • Mr Ben, I just wanted to tell you that you and your team have created the most beautiful game ever. I love the art, the music, the style, everything. This is definitely day one purchase for me, as I am a POP which actually was the first game I ever played in my life.

    I am just hoping the gameplay is just as amazing as everything else. The battles being one on one are very interesting since could be very epic, but on the other side, can get annoying if you always perform the same movements and the enemies too.

    Apart of that, congratulations on this game! you guys did an amazing job!

  • I really like the PoP games and i am very hyped about this new PoP. i just pre-ordered mine today paid the whole thing off already. and ty for the free CE upgrade with the pre-order

    ok 1) will there be a psp PoP game?

    2) could it have a connection to this game… mainly in the way R2 will “infect” the psp retribution game?

  • Nice.. i just hope there are a XMB Music added to all of this action.. also i have an complaint why do they look so sketchy.. looks great to the maps and all but i realy dont like fact that the charcters has a really a concept shape in them that makes them realy sketchy and not so much very realistic. sorry i have a question that i just stated from top will there be XMB Music im hoping there will be would be great if u can put that in.. thanks for your time to put all of your new trailer and a blog all the fans are wishing you guys a good devlopment in this process of design..

    -PS3 The future is now..-

    PSN:Ryanmck142 ADD ME FOR THOSE WHO SAW MY COMMENT YOU DO YOU BECOME MY FREIND LOL…

  • My question is, from the clips we’ve see so far it seems that Elika saves the Price all the time. Is this how the gameplay mechanic will work, or is there some actual skill involved in completing the game?

  • I hate to sound like a troll, but I’m not sure how else to ask this…Is this game going to have the same screen tearing issues that Far Cry 2 has? I have a 61″ TV, and FC2 is almost unplayable in spots because the screen seems to explode into little chunks whenever I’m indoors.

    I’ve noticed that Prince of Persia seems to have some of the same problem in spots even in the videos you guys have released, so I’m somewhat concerned. I’m sure there’s a hardware reason behind the problem, because there’s a great many games that have it on the PS3, but I’m curious if this’ll make that sad, sad list as well.

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