Lost Crown, Found Glory: Prince of Persia's Olympic Ice Dance is a Wild Ride
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
American figure skater Ilia Malinin, the "Quad God" and a proud gamer, delighted audiences at the Winter Olympics by performing to a track from *Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown*'s soundtrack, creating a wonderfully chaotic moment of mainstream gaming recognition despite Ubisoft's earlier dismissal of the critically acclaimed game's commercial success.
Right, so I’ve been tinkering with the fabric of reality – or at least, the gaming news cycle – all morning, and bloody hell, this one's wilder than I first thought. You know that feeling when a game you absolutely loved, a critically acclaimed masterpiece, gets a bit of a corporate side-eye because its sales didn't quite hit the moon? Yeah, well, *Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown* knows that feeling. But guess what? While Ubisoft might've been shuffling dev teams around, the Winter Olympics just crowned it a star. Fair dinkum!
This delightful piece of unexpected chaos first caught my eye thanks to Giovanni Colantonio over at Polygon (polygon.com), who broke the news of this wonderfully bizarre crossover.
Picture this: You're watching the Winter Olympics – all the grace, the power, the… *quadruple axels*. And suddenly, blaring from the arena speakers, is a track from a video game that, by all accounts, was meant to be relegated to the "niche but respected" shelf. I'm talking about "The Lost Crown" by 2WEI, Joznez, and Kataem – a rap track crafted specifically for *Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown*'s debut trailer in 2023. And it's accompanying none other than American figure skating sensation, Ilia Malinin, famously known as the "Quad God" for his gravity-defying moves.
Now, if that doesn't scream "reality just glitched," I don't know what does. It's like someone cast a spell for "mainstream recognition," and instead of a grand marketing campaign, we got an Olympic figure skater doing a triple salchow to a hip-hop banger from a platformer. Optimistically chaotic? Absolutely.
Malinin, at just 21, isn't just an athletic marvel; he's also a self-confessed gamer. You might pick up on that from his distinctively video game-coded outfits – I'm talking slick lines, bold colours, the sort of aesthetic that makes you wonder if he’s got a special attack meter just out of sight. But over the weekend, during the Winter Olympics figure skating Team Event in Milan, his gaming allegiance was undeniable when he unleashed a medley of music culminating in that *Prince of Persia* track.
And honestly, the lyrics – "I only run with immortals" – couldn't be more spot on for an athlete nicknamed "Quad God" striving for Olympic gold. It’s like the universe just aligned its cutscenes. It’s a deep cut, too, not some super mainstream pop track, which just makes it even cooler. It speaks to a genuine appreciation for the game's energy and soundtrack, rather than just picking a recognisable tune.
Which brings us to the gently skeptical, slightly irreverent part of my brain. You see, *The Lost Crown* was an absolute darling of the critics. Review after review lauded its tight platforming, innovative combat, and stunning art direction. It felt like a true return to form for the *Prince of Persia* series, after years in the wilderness (and a certain cancelled *Sands of Time* remake – don't even get me started on that one, mate). Yet, less than a year after its release, reports surfaced that Ubisoft didn't consider it a "success" and had even disbanded the development team.
Let that sink in. A game critically praised, a genuine breath of fresh air, gets a corporate shrug, only for one of its defining musical pieces to headline an Olympic performance. It’s almost poetic, isn't it? Like the game itself is finding its own path to glory, transcending the sales charts and landing on the biggest sporting stage in the world. Perhaps success, like reality, is just a matter of perspective.
Malinin's initial short program on Feb. 7 wasn't his personal best – he placed second to Japan's Yuma Kagiyama, scoring a slightly uncharacteristic 98. But this is the Olympics, not just a casual speedrun. He pulled it back with a solid performance the very next day, helping Team USA snag a gold medal in the Team Event. And he's got another shot at individual glory this week, with his short program in the Men's Singles event on Feb. 10. You just know he’s got that "I only run with immortals" mantra locked in.
This whole Olympics has been a surprisingly nerdy affair, to be fair. It's not just *Prince of Persia*. Commentators have been chatting about athletes' love for *Dungeons and Dragons*, the official Olympics website even featured an interview with Malinin where he waxed poetic about his gaming PC rig (A gamer with a quad axel? What a legend!), and figure skater Amber Glenn's devotion to *Magic the Gathering* got its own video package.
It's a curious pattern, isn't it? Like the digital realm is slowly but surely seeping into every corner of our physical world. What would a curious gamer actually want to know? Well, I reckon it’s that this isn't just an athlete picking a cool song; it's a testament to how deeply ingrained gaming culture now is. It's not just a niche hobby; it’s influencing fashion, music, and even peak athletic performance.
And what's missing from this delightfully chaotic, super-nerdy Olympics in Milan? Well, aside from a cameo from true Italian nerd royalty – where's Mario, eh? Imagine a synchronized swimming routine to the *Super Mario Bros.* theme. Now *that* would be a spell cast too well. But hey, *Prince of Persia* at the Winter Olympics? That's a pretty good start. It’s the human story behind the corporate announcement: creativity finds a way, even if it has to skate on ice to get there.
Tags: Olympic Games, Prince of Persia, Gaming Culture, Ubisoft, Ilia Malinin
Original article: Polygon