Prince of Persia Rayman Engine Rumor

It's been almost 6 years since the last proper Prince of Persia game, the appropriately and succinctly titled Prince of Persia, hit, but during that time there have been plenty of rumors suggesting the prince might soon appear. However, most of those rumors have failed to amount to anything more than baseless speculation, despite a strong belief Ubisoft has something Prince of Persia-related in the works.

Our latest rumor is yet another "take this with a grain of salt" situation, but it does provide some potentially intriguing insights into where Ubisoft may be taking the franchise in the future. According to an inside source, Prince of Persia may be getting the Rayman treatment as it returns to its 2D side-scrolling roots.

These most recent Prince of Persia details come courtesy of French website Le Portail du Jeu Video (via Video Gamer), who purport to have a source within Ubisoft's camp. According to Le Portail's source, Ubisoft has begun development on a new Prince of Persia title that will use the same animation techniques seen in the most recent Rayman games, Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends, to give this next title a completely unique look. Using the Rayman "technique" and the UbiArt Framework will reportedly help Ubisoft make the prince's movements appear more fluid, while also allowing developers the ability to individually animate his body parts.

Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time

While all we have to go on at this point is Le Portail's source, the idea of a 2D side-scrolling Prince of Persia could prove an intriguing reinvention for the franchise, a chance for Ubisoft to bring the series back to its roots while increasing its technical prowess with modern hardware. At the same time, there is a strong belief among Prince of Persia fans that the franchise would most benefit from an Assassin's Creed-esque approach, adding an open world mechanic to the mix.

Whatever the case, rumors continue to mount that suggest Ubisoft is working on…something for Prince of Persia, it's just unclear what exactly that might be. And with the focus trained on Watch Dogs, The Crew, and Assassin's Creed: Unity, it's hard to imagine the developer/publisher is ready to add any projects to their slate just yet. Perhaps once Watch Dogs has hit in May, they might say more about a potential Prince of Persia reboot.

Do you think the 2D side-scrolling idea is a good approach for a future Prince of Persia title? Which would you prefer: an open world Prince of Persia or a highly stylized linear version?

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Source: Le Portail du Jeu Video (via Video Gamer)