Prince Of Persia To Be Lost In Time As Ubisoft Franchise Is Paused

by Patrick Dane

Sometimes it really is wise to take a break. The problem with many publishers is, like the Wii warnings to stop playing for 5 minutes, they ignore the pitfalls of over-saturation. The complication with this, though, is that publishers find, once you have a winning formula, or a brand, the temptation is to milk it dry. Over and over again. While Ubisoft have been busy churning out Assassin's Creed games like they're a sports franchise, they do seem to have cooled one of their other hottest properties in Prince of Persia. In an interview with IGN, Ubisoft Montreal's CEO, Yannis Mallat, has said:

"Brand management is a tricky thing, It needs people's attention a lot. I think it is fair to say that, right now, Prince of Persia is being paused. But we said the same thing for some other brands that suddenly popped up because a team is willing to do it."
Don't fret Prince of Persia fans. Mallat assured fans that the series is still important to Ubisoft:
"Prince of Persia is as important as any other franchise for Ubisoft. As soon as we have something to show, we will."
While I took a swipe at the Assassin's Creed franchise, Ubisoft seem to be pretty good at managing their IPs. The only reason we get so many Assassin's Creed games is because of the sheer scope of the series means it has a massive canvas to paint on. Prince of Persia seems like a more fragile beast and overexposure could potentially kill it. It is encouraging to see that Ubisoft are willing to let their franchises grow creatively, and not just to use its properties to pay the bills. What do you think? Is it wise to pause this great series? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Patrick Dane is someone who spends too much of his time looking at screens. Usually can be seen pretending he works as a film and game blogger, short film director, PA, 1st AD and scriptwriter. Known to frequent London screening rooms, expensive hotels, couches, Costa coffee and his bedroom. If found, could you please return to the internet.