Ubisoft Announces Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Release Tied To Movie

Disney's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will introduce Jordan Mechner's world to a larger audience next May, but video game players are going back, too. Though last year's Prince of Persia reboot appeared to move the series in a new direction, Ubisoft has just announced Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, which brings the series back to the original storyline.

"This new installment in the critically-acclaimed franchise marks the return to the Prince of Persia Sands of Time storyline," reads the press release. "Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will feature many of the fan-favorite elements from the original series as well as new gameplay innovations that gamers have come to expect from the Prince of Persia brand."

As an unabashed fan of the recent Prince of Persia, I have to express some disappointment over Ubisoft's decision to take a step back. If the new Prince of Perisa retains the excellent gameplay innovations from the last installment, such as the refreshing removal of a game over screen, then I'll have fewer reservations. A tie-in makes sense. The last Prince of Persia wasn't perfect, but it was clear the team was allowed to try new things, which should be applauded and rewarded.

But I'll say this: more platform-based action games isn't a bad thing.

The movie debuts on May 28, 2010. Ubisoft will release the new game in May, too. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will be released on currently unspecified consoles and handhelds.