Ubisoft has an opportunity to honor its Prince of Persia legacy by fusing it with Assassin’s Creed after the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Ubisoft’s decision to delay Assassin’s Creed: Shadows to February 11, 2025, has given the community time to think about the future of the beloved franchise. As fans eagerly wait for the next chapter in the Assassin’s Creed saga, there is a golden opportunity for the studio to take the series in a bold yet nostalgic direction. It can intertwine the franchise with one of its predecessors, Prince of Persia while paying tribute to its legacy.

Players are already thinking about the future direction the studio will take the series to. | Image Credit: Ubisoft

This isn’t just about invoking nostalgia in players. By incorporating elements from PoP such as its iconic parkour mechanics, deadly environmental traps, and time-altering themes, the studio has a chance to breathe new life into both franchises. The result could be something fresh and exciting, all while ensuring that the very essence of PoP’s distinctive gameplay lives on through Assassin’s Creed.

Why Ubisoft Should Fuse Prince of Persia with Assassin’s Creed

Prince of Persia is one of the most beloved and cursed franchises in gaming history. | Image Credit: Ubisoft

Ubisoft has long used the Assassin’s Creed franchise as a platform for innovation, with each installment bringing new mechanics and settings to keep the gameplay fresh. The franchise has taken players from the ancient streets of Rome to the lively markets of Baghdad, each installment immersing players in a meticulously crafted world that feels alive and dynamic.

By fusing Prince of Persia with Assassin’s Creed, the studio has the opportunity to take players back to the heart of the Persian Empire. This way it will not only honor the legacy of the beloved franchise but also unlock a wealth of possibilities for storytelling, world-building, and gameplay.

The historical richness of Persia, with its beautiful cities, vast deserts, and towering palaces, would provide an excellent backdrop for an epic AC adventure. However, it’s not just the setting that makes this fusion exciting; it’s also the gameplay potential. First and foremost, parkour.

The PoP games were built on their fluid, dynamic parkour mechanics, which allowed players to leap, wall-run, and navigate through complex environments in the blink of an eye. While these mechanics were the foundation for Assassin’s Creed’s signature movement system, there’s still room for improvement.

However, the next installment should fully embrace the essence of PoP and introduce new layers of complexity to the parkour system. If the game is set in Ancient Persia, there will always be elaborate palaces, labyrinthine temples, and ancient citadels for players to scale and test these mechanics on.

Beyond movement, these grand structures should be filled with hidden traps and environmental puzzles. These challenges would encourage players to stay alert, think on their feet, and explore the environment in greater depth. In doing so, players would not only engage with the revamped parkour system but also immerse themselves in a world that feels truly reactive to their actions.

Why it Matters to Revive the Prince of Persia Legacy

Even before its release, Shadows has been swimming in controversy regarding its protagonist choices and gameplay. | Image Credit: Ubisoft

The Prince of Persia franchise deserves more than to fade into obscurity. While a recent attempt at reviving the series emerged with a platform-based title, it failed to capture the magic of its predecessors, and the development team behind it was ultimately disbanded. For many, PoP was the stepping stone to Assassin’s Creed, and its influence is still present.

Ubisoft is in a very tough spot right now. Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, even before its release, has been met with various controversy, and fans have been expressing growing frustration with the direction the series has taken in recent years.

By fusing the beloved (also cursed) franchise into Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft has an opportunity to not only reinvigorate its iconic legacy but also renew hope among PoP fans who have longed for a proper revival.

As the release date for Shadows comes close (February 11th), players are watching closely to see how the studio will move forward with the series. Even though the franchise is covered in controversies right now, it has delivered some of the best gaming experiences with a few of its installments as well so players don’t want to see it stagnate or fade into irrelevance.

In the end, while this is just a hopeful vision that imagines both franchises making a spectacular return, the studio needs to take decisive action. It needs to make the right choices, starting with a fresh, bold direction that honors its legacy and gives players something to look forward to once again.

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