# Jordan Mechner on Prince of Persia's legacy > Jordan Mechner, creator of Prince of Persia, shares how the game's legacy spans decades and why it remains relevant. - Title: Jordan Mechner on Prince of Persia's legacy · PC Gamer - Summary: Jordan Mechner, creator of Prince of Persia, shares how the game's legacy spans decades and why it remains relevant. Jordan Mechner discusses Prince of… - Keywords: jordan mechner, prince of persia, ubisoft, the lost crown, sands of time, warrior within, the last express, graphic novels, smoking car productions, broderbund, myst, karateka - Source: PC Gamer — https://pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/an-overdue-conversation-with-jordan-mechner - Published: 2026-10-26T18:52:49+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: jordan mechner, prince of persia, ubisoft, the lost crown, sands of time, warrior within, the last express, graphic novels, smoking car productions, broderbund, myst, karateka ## The long wait Jordan Mechner, creator of Prince of Persia, joined a roundtable in 2024 after a decade of trying to connect with him. > it took a decade, but in 2024 we finally made it happen ## Prince of Persia's many lives Prince of Persia has evolved into multiple versions, including The Lost Crown, Sands of Time, and The Last Express. > there's all three of those ## The Lost Crown's approach Ubisoft's The Lost Crown is a 2D Metroidvania that honors Prince of Persia's early visual style and gameplay. > it's also reminiscent of the early 2d prince of persia games ## 2008 Prince of Persia The 2008 Prince of Persia game was praised for its fluid movement and has a dedicated fanbase. > i loved the 2008 prince of persia ## Metroidvania confusion Mechner says the term 'Metroidvania' didn't exist when he made Prince of Persia but the game's design fits the genre. > it's such a gamer genre but it also didn't exist when you made the original ## Prince of Persia 3D Prince of Persia 3D was a 1993 game that Mechner played only partially due to hardware limitations. > i played the first two levels ## Sands of Time's innovation Sands of Time introduced time rewinding and parkour mechanics that became central to the game's identity. > the decision from sands of time to warrior within, the mandate to change it from teen to m was a marketing mandate ## The Last Express The Last Express was a 1993 game developed by Smoking Car Productions that Mechner created with his team. > the last express was a very different kind of game ## Prince of Persia movie Mechner worked on the Prince of Persia movie with Disney and Bruckheimer, which was released in 2010. > i was fully involved for the next couple of years as the first screenwriter ## The Super Nintendo version A Super Nintendo version of Prince of Persia was created by Arsys Software with Japanese artist Katsuya Terada. > the super nintendo version was the one with the beautiful cover ## San Francisco connection Mechner lived in San Francisco during the Prince of Persia and The Last Express development periods. > i lived in presidio heights and i was driving across the bridge to marin ## The Last Express studio Smoking Car Productions was based in San Francisco on Jackson Square, near the Zoetrope building. > it was on jackson square on 414 jackson street ## The Last Express production The Last Express was filmed on 16mm film with rotoscoping to create hand-drawn animation. > we shot on 16 millimeter film and rotoscoped it to give the impression of hand-drawn animated line art ## The Last Express legacy Mechner has written graphic novels and is working on a The Last Express prequel graphic novel. > hopefully about a year or two from now we'll be talking about a the last express prequel graphic novel ## The Last Express remaster The Last Express has archived assets at the Strong Museum of Play that could be remastered for modern tech. > we have the original assets we shot on 16 millimeter film ## What's next for Mechner Mechner is focused on new creative projects rather than remastering The Last Express. > personally returning to a game that i've already spent years making in order to spend years remastering it is not my highest priority ## Key takeaway Jordan Mechner discusses Prince of Persia's evolution across gaming eras and its enduring cultural impact.