10 Iconic Video Games You Had NO IDEA Were Originally Sequels
5. Assassin’s Creed
Originally: Prince of Persia - Assassins
It’s a funny thought nowadays, but at one point, the Prince of Persia series was one of Ubisoft’s biggest properties. Originally an Apple II franchise that eventually sputtered out, it came roaring back with The Sands of Time in 2003, a title dripping with lush Arabian Nights fantasy and revolutionary platforming mechanics. It was a landmark game of the PS2/Xbox era, leading to two sequels that tried to inject a bit of Nu Metal attitude to mixed results, but regardless, they all sold well.
As the next generation of gaming (Xbox 360/PS3) loomed on the horizon, series creative director Patrice Désilets grew eager to evolve the formula. The team pinpointed a gritty historical period - the Third Crusade, circa 1190 AD - and experimented with NPC behavior, open-world systems, and stealth mechanics designed to sit at the very heart of the experience.
Development eventually sidelined the titular Prince entirely, focusing instead on his bodyguard assassin, as seen in a 2004 prototype that looked like a completely different game than what had come before.
And there lay the dilemma: Ubisoft supported the project, but wanted to keep the Prince of Persia brand for recognition. The developers, however, felt tethered to an identity their concept had clearly outgrown. Eventually, they won out, and a whole new series was born in the form of Assassin’s Creed - a franchise that has since completely overshadowed the poor Prince in both popularity and relevance.