It’s been almost 50 years sinceStar Warsmade its cinematic debut, and it’s still widely considered to be one of the biggest entertainment franchises on the planet. That popularity is in no small part due to the original trilogy’s excellent world-building, which introduced a variety of alien species and referenced past events that in turn made theStar Warsgalaxy feel expansive and lived-in. Naturally,Star Wars' expansive galaxy left plenty of room for prequels, sequels, and spinoffs.
There’s been a steady stream ofStar Warscontent since the franchise’s debut in 1977. Even during the “dark ages” betweenReturn of the JediandPhantom Menace,Star Warsreleased plenty of expanded universe content, with video games doing a lot of the heavy lifting. But despite arguably being bigger than ever, theStar Warsfranchise is releasing far fewer video games than it once did. A big reason for this is the larger scale ofrecentStar Warsgames. But the recent return of one classic gaming franchise has shown that not all entries need to be huge AAA releases to be well-received.
Star Wars Should Follow In Prince of Persia’s Footsteps
Prince of Persia Has Taken Some Bold Leaps Recently
After 14 years of dormancy, thePrince of Persiafranchise returned in a major way last year. Kicking off the year in style,Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown(the first mainline entry since 2010’sPrince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands) released in January 2024. A2.5D side-scrolling metroidvania,Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownhearkened back to the series' 1989 debut while providing an all-new spin on the series' action-platforming formula.
Just four months later,The Rogue Prince of Persiahit Steam early access. Much likeThe Lost Crown,The Rogue Prince of Persiahearkened back to the series' roots while providing a completely fresh spin in terms of gameplay and genre, this time giving the formula a roguelike makeover.
Prince of Persia’s Daring Return Has Been Bittersweet
Generally speaking,Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownreceived very positive reviews across the board, with most outlets giving the experimental revival 8s and 9s.The Rogue Prince of Persiais still in early access, but early impressions are fairly positive as well, claiming that the game has plenty of potential to be great when it finally releases fully.
Unfortunately, though critics and many fans have thoroughly enjoyed the bold new directions thePrince of Persiafranchise has gone in, their sales numbers don’t quite match the same level of excitement. Despite its widespread critical success,Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownonly sold around 1 million copiesby October 2024. This seems to be much lower than Ubisoft expected, and as such, the game’s development team (Ubisoft Montpellier) was disbanded.
But while an experimental approach to genres might not have worked out in the end forPrince of Persia, at least in terms of sales, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t work for other franchises. AndStar Warslends itself perfectly to a more experimental approach.
Star Wars Should Borrow Prince of Persia’s Experimental Approach to Genres
For the last decade or so, theStar Warsfranchise has mostly released huge AAA gaming projects with presumably gigantic budgets. The higher these budgets are and the greater the scope of these projects, the higher the risk of failure. And while this has worked in Disney’s favor with games likeStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which is estimated to have sold around 8-10 million copies, it’s also backfired in spectacular fashion, such aslast year’sStar Wars Outlaws, which sold just over 1 million copies by October 2024.
Instead of gambling big every time, Disney and its publishing partners might want to borrowPrince of Persia’s approach, and deliver a handful of smaller-scale experiences that experiment with genres fans don’t normally get to see from theStar Warsfranchise. A 2D side-scroller likeApprentice of the Forcefor the GBA, a Podracing kart racer, and a point-and-click Imperial Security Bureau game are all just a few examples of whatStar Warscould produce to keep the franchise fresh.
