Ubisoft plans "significant" POP DLC

Ubisoft producer Ben Mattes has said downloadable content for the new Prince or Persia game is very much part of the plan, and will add "significant value" - perhaps even as much as an entire prequel or sequel.

"We certainly have plans for downloadable content, [but] we can't really say more than that right now," Mattes told Gamersyde in a video interview.

"The intention is to do downloadable content that adds significant value, so I don't think you'll see downloadable content of a new skin or a new weapon or something like that.

"If we're going to do it, it's going to be a new story, a new experience, maybe a prequel, maybe a sequel - we're going to do something that really offers a lot of value for the player. In terms of when: sometime next year - I'm not sure of exactly when, it's all still in discussion."

Prince of Persia will be released for Xbox 360 and PS3 on 5th December, followed a week later by the PC version.

Famously, the new instalment adopts a flashy 'next-gen cel-shaded' visual style, one Mattes believes will be "copied in the coming years".

The other major addition to the series is Elika, a magical lady who co-operatively helps the Prince in combat and exploration, and acts as a safety net - a sort of personified rolling check-point system.

One of the criticisms of this has been that the game may be too easy, but Mattes assures us this will not be the case, pointing out an "accessible" approach with plenty of gameplay rewards for advanced players: successful combos can interrupt enemy spawns, for instance, and more fluid acrobatics even rouses the musical accompaniment.

There are also magical orbs to collect to unlock Elika's powers, and Mattes is confident these will be much more rewarding to hunt for than flags in Assassin's Creed.

All of that should add up to between 12 to 18 hours of straight and narrow gameplay, we're told. Meanwhile, those delving into the story dialogue and scouting for nooks and crannies can expect anywhere from 18 to 24 hours of content.

One of the goals, said Mattes, was to make Prince of Persia completable, as too many people shelve unfinished games.

Mattes and team have also produced enough backstory and creative content that, if the game sells well enough (a Christmas number one, perhaps?) then the world can be easily expanded by Ubisoft Montreal or "another team".

"But that said, there's no guarantee this will be a trilogy because clearly if the sales aren't there, things can change and we might decide, 'OK, you know what? That's it for Prince of Persia for now.' So it's equally important this be a standalone project as well, and for now that's all we can guarantee," added Mattes.

Thanks to Machetazo for the heads-up!