Reportedly, Ubisoft has its Montepellier-based studio working on a 2.5D Prince of Persia game inspired by Ori and the Blind Forest. The postponed Prince of Persia: Sand of Time Remake, which still lacks a firm due date, will act as the franchise's first significant release since The Forgotten Sands hit store shelves in May 2010.
Prince of Persia began as a fantasy platformer on the Apple II in 1989. Series creator served in a supervisory job on the 1993 sequel, The Shadow and the Flame, but another six years would pass before a third entry, Prince of Persia 3D, went to market. Of course, the brand encountered a massive change in direction when Ubisoft Montréal unleashed the seminal Sands of Time in 2003. And Prince of Persia especially altered Ubisoft's trajectory when an assassins-focused Prince of Persia installment transformed into what eventually became 2007's Assassin's Creed. Thus, the more established IP's dearth of new releases seems inextricably linked to Assassin's Creed continued success. Hopes remain high that someday the Prince will once more recover his place as an important part of the Ubisoft portfolio.
According to a XFire report wrote by industry insider Tom Henderson, Ubisoft has long planned on hosting a pre-E3 2022 games event. Sources acquainted with the French publisher's operations guarantee that while a date for the event remains up in the air, the company will shed light on at least 20 different games during the unannounced showcase. One title, in particular, will reportedly constitute a brand-new 2.5D Prince of Persia title influenced by Moon Studios' honor winning Ori series. Henderson's write-up also notes that Rayman and Valiant Hearts engineer Ubisoft Montpellier is involved, though other teams are logical attached to the project, as well.
An Ori-inspired Prince of Persia experience sounds like it could inject a breath of fresh air into Ubisoft's current slate of releases, as Immortals Fenyx Rising did in late 2020. And who better to rudder such an undertaking than Ubisoft Montpellier? Again, this is the team responsible for beloved adventures like Rayman Origins and Valiant Hearts, both of which sent off at a time when Ubisoft seemed more willing to experiment with smaller-scale projects. Once more should Henderson's claims demonstrate accurate, ideally the 2.5D title means some of that experimentation will take center stage.
This isn't the only secret project the French publisher has at its disposal, either, according to XFire. The Tom Henderson report additionally alleges that an Immortals Fenyx Rising sequel is in the works at Ubisoft Québec, the group responsible for Assassin's Creed Odyssey and the original Immortals. If and when Ubisoft will corroborate any of the above presently remains a mystery.