When Purple Skin & a Spanish Phone Became the Eldritch Horrors of Game Dev: The Rogue Prince of Persia's Wild Ride to 1.0
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Evil Empire’s *The Rogue Prince of Persia* finally hits 1.0 after a chaotic Early Access, openly detailing struggles like a purple-skinned protagonist, the shadow of *Hades 2*, and a bizarre Spanish phone number incident, all while hoping their honesty brings in new players.
Right, so you know that feeling when you're casting a perfectly good spell, and then suddenly, reality decides to throw a banana peel in your face, a flock of pigeons starts squawking your secrets, and your cat turns into a sentient, slightly judgy teapot? That, my friends, feels a bit like what the fine folks at Evil Empire went through with *The Rogue Prince of Persia*.
After a year-long stint in Early Access that sounds more like an epic quest with a few too many unexpected boss fights, the game finally hit its 1.0 release. And to celebrate, Evil Empire dropped a behind-the-scenes video that’s less corporate PR fluff and more a brutally honest, 'blimey, we almost didn't make it' confessional. Honestly, it’s refreshing as a chilled brew on a hot day, and frankly, a bit of a wizard's insight into the chaos of game development.
Let’s rewind a bit, shall we? Back in May 2024, *The Rogue Prince of Persia* launched into Early Access, hoping to carve out its own little slice of roguelike glory. But then, as if the gaming gods decided to roll a critical fail on their launch day, *Hades 2* decided to rock up out of nowhere and steal literally everyone’s thunder. Talk about a cosmic snub! It’s like turning up to a wizarding duel, wand charged, ready to impress, and then the biggest, flashiest archmage in the realm just apparates in, conjures a dragon, and everyone forgets you even exist. Poor Prince never stood a chance in the initial limelight.
But the universe wasn't done messing with Evil Empire yet. Players, bless their honest hearts, weren't quite vibing with the game's initial colourful, Moebius-inspired art style. And the biggest head-scratcher of all? The Prince himself, and pretty much every NPC, was rocking a rather vibrant shade of purple skin. Now, as a digital wizard who appreciates a deep-cut reference, I actually found this quite charming. It was, apparently, a direct homage to the OG 1990 PC CGA port of *Prince of Persia*, where a limited 4-colour palette forced everyone into neon hues. A niche nod? Absolutely. Did it go over almost everyone's head? Oh, you bet your bottom dollar it did.
Matthew Houghton, Evil Empire’s Marketing Manager, admitted in the video that during a brainstorming session, their art director — presumably with a tiny, nagging voice in the back of his head — asked, “Are we sure that making the Prince purple won't be a problem?” And what was the collective genius response? “Nah, mate, you’re overthinking it! Colours are cool, stylish, adds fantasy!” Oh, to be a fly on that wall *now*, knowing how that particular prediction aged. It's like asking if adding a portal to the Shadow Realm right next to the town square will cause any issues. 'Nah, it's just decorative!' Famous last words, eh?
So, after the purple prince and the general art style got a less-than-stellar reception, the devs faced a monumental task. Not only did they have to pack in more content (which, fair dinkum, is par for the course in Early Access), but they decided to completely revamp the art style. That’s a massive undertaking, mate! They went for more detailed levels and a Prince who's decidedly less grape-flavoured, now looking a bit more in line with the Persian miniature inspiration they were aiming for all along. The key art, the soundtrack cover by the impressive ASADI – all got the visual glow-up.
And here’s where the 'optimistically chaotic' truly kicks in. You’d think after a major art overhaul, things would sail smoothly, right? Wrong. In a twist that sounds like something out of a bureaucratic nightmare combined with a digital glitch, they ran into a bizarre Steam issue that required them to use a *Spanish phone number* just to get their own product updated. I mean, bloody hell! It's like needing a specific ancient artefact from a forgotten temple in Peru just to patch your game. You couldn't make this stuff up.
Despite the hurdles – the shadow of *Hades 2*, the purple skin saga, the bizarre Spanish phone number escapade – Houghton was quick to champion their community. “Through all those problems and roadblocks,” he said, “we’ve had a great community giving us a helping hand the whole way.” And that, mate, is the kind of stuff I get genuinely excited about. Community-driven development, players sticking by a game through its awkward adolescent phase, that’s proper magic.
But, let's be gently skeptical for a moment. Houghton did acknowledge a low player count during Early Access. And there's a definite undertone in the video – a kind of wistful 'we really hope this 1.0 release helps, because we'd love to make a sequel.' Which, speaking of sequels, brings me to Ubisoft. Now, Ubisoft owns the *Prince of Persia* IP, and while Evil Empire seems to have a good thing going, one can't help but remember *Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown*. A superb Metroidvania, genuinely innovative, but one that Ubisoft seemed to send out to die with almost non-existent promotion before reportedly disbanding the team behind it. So, while I’m rooting for *The Rogue Prince of Persia*, that little voice of skepticism about how big publishers handle their talent always lingers.
Still, the sheer honesty from Evil Empire, especially given they’re working under the Ubisoft umbrella and this is their first fully-fledged project, is gold. It’s rare to see game devs so openly admit to missteps and learning curves without wrapping it in a thousand layers of corporate speak. It’s a human story behind the code, and that’s what really makes me want to dig in. I reckon I'll be diving into *The Rogue Prince of Persia* this weekend. Here's hoping it finds the audience it deserves after such a wild, purple-skinned, Spanish-phone-number-requiring journey.
Tags: roguelike, game development, early access, indie game, prince of persia
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun