The Making of Prince of Persia cover art

The Making of Prince of Persia

Journals 1985 - 1993

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About this listen

A deep dive into the origins of the epic, best-selling video game, featuring previously unreleased content in the game creator's own words.

The creator of one of the most innovative and best-selling video games of all time gives an unvarnished look into the process in this one-of-a-kind compilation. Before Prince of Persia was a best-selling video game franchise and a Disney movie, it was an Apple II computer game created and programmed by one person: Jordan Mechner.

Mechner's candid and revealing journals from the time capture the journey from his parents’ basement to the forefront of the fast-growing 1980s video game industry, and the creative, technical, and personal struggles that brought the prince into being and ultimately into the homes of millions of people worldwide.

Now, on the 30th anniversary of Prince of Persia’s release, Mechner looks back at the journals he kept from 1985 to 1993, offering new insights into the game that established him as a pioneer of cinematic storytelling in the industry.

This collector’s edition includes:

  • Narration from Jordan’s original journals
  • The stages of the game’s creation

The Making of Prince of Persia is both a tribute to a timeless classic and an indelible look at the creative process that will resonate with retro-gaming fans, game developers, and writers, artists, and creators of all stripes.

©2011, 2020 Jordan Mechner (P)2020 Jordan Mechner Art Royalty Game Video Game
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I work in the games development industry, so this was an incredible insight into how things were done in the late 1980s and early 90s, via one of the most critically-acclaimed game designers around. Jordan's intelligence and wit are obvious, even in these journal entries. There's a deliberate pacing to these entries that feels more like a memoir, picking up one thread, before turning to another, and leaving you in anticipation for how the previous thread resolves. Like I said, I couldn't stop listening. I particularly enjoyed the anecdotes from his travels, and the tug between careers in both the game and film industries. Knowing how things turned out for Prince of Persia (including the 2010 movie), there's a strong dramatic irony felt reading these stories from the trenches. An important part of gaming history.

Could not put this down

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Fascinating insight into the process of making on of the greatest games of all time and the life of its creator. Great narration from Yuri Lowenthal. Really hope Mr. Mechner publishes the rest of his journals, I bet they're fascinating.

Great insight into a piece of vide games history

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There was too much going off topic about trying to get into the movie industry. I'd like to have just kept it to mostly Prince and Persia related.

I loved the detail Jordan goes into about the problems he solved during development. As a big fan of the game it's interesting to hear how basic it was and how long it took for certain features to make it in.

Nice details on how the game together.

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