Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – A Dream Come True
Just like many others in this industry, I grew up playing video games—getting lost in their worlds, dreaming through their stories, and feeling connected to characters in ways only games can offer. But few titles left as deep a mark on me as the Prince of Persia series. The Sands of Time, Warrior Within, The Two Thrones—these weren't just games, they were core memories. So, when the opportunity came to work on the Arabic localization of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, it felt like something more than a professional milestone. It was deeply personal. It was a return to a world I had loved since I was a kid—and now, I had the chance to leave my mark on it.
From the very beginning, it was clear this project needed something special. The game had a distinct tone—a deep connection to myth, to history, and to storytelling in its most classical form. We knew early on that we wanted the Arabic version to carry the same weight. Our linguistic approach leaned into a rich, heavy formal Arabic, one that felt ancient, poetic, and almost sacred. We used extensive diacritics not just for clarity, but to give the text an aesthetic elegance that mirrored the game’s majestic tone. It wasn’t just about translating—it was about honoring a world built on Persian legends and divine prophecies, and making it resonate just as powerfully in Arabic.
One of the most unique and rewarding parts of the project was the poetic prophecy—the "Prophecy of the Three Princes." The challenge wasn’t just in the language, but in the structure. Players would discover verses of the prophecy in a non-linear fashion, depending on how they progressed. So the Arabic version needed to be not only beautiful and lyrical, but also modular—any part could be read first, and still inspire curiosity and emotional weight. It became one of our favorite tasks. The translator poured incredible heart into it, and the result was a rich Arabic poem filled with metaphor, rhythm, and soul. It was the kind of writing that gives you chills when you read it back.
What goes around… Comes around.
As the game launched and Arabic-speaking players began sharing their impressions, the reward for all that care and detail started to shine. Communities like True Gaming, Arab Hardware, GTX Arabia, MOHTM, Just Play It, and GAMESZM all shared glowing feedback about the localization—its precision, its depth, and its cultural respect. And then came the nomination: our work on The Lost Crown was shortlisted for Best Localization of the Year at the Grand Game Awards 2024, alongside giants like Elden Ring, Dragon's Dogma II, and Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. It felt surreal. It felt right.
Revisiting a dream
The journey didn’t end there. After wrapping up the base game, we returned to the project for The Mask of Darkness DLC—another chance to revisit this world we had grown so attached to. And not long after, we were brought back once more to help bring the game to mobile platforms. Each return felt like reuniting with an old friend, and each new task came with the same excitement we felt at the very beginning.
Looking back, it’s hard to overstate what this project meant to us—not just as professionals, but as fans. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was more than a title we worked on. It was a homecoming. And sharing that journey with the Arabic-speaking world made it all the more meaningful.
