Jordan Mechner

Overview

Jordan Mechner filmed his brother running and jumping, then traced the footage frame by frame. The result was Prince of Persia’s unprecedented animation fluidity. His earlier Karateka proved the concept; Prince perfected it. Mechner then largely left games for screenwriting before returning to oversee the franchise’s evolution.

Fast facts

Born: 1964, New York, USA.
Education: Yale University.
Key games: Karateka, Prince of Persia.
Other career: Screenwriter.

Major works

Title	Year	Platform
Karateka	1984	Apple II
Prince of Persia	1989	Apple II
Prince of Persia 2	1993	PC
The Last Express	1997	PC

Rotoscoping technique

Step	Process
Film reference	Video of movement
Trace frames	Convert to sprites
Reduce	Fit platform limits
Animate	Integrate into game

Karateka (1984)

Early proof of concept:

Rotoscoped martial arts
Cinematic presentation
Commercial success
Apple II showcase

Prince of Persia (1989)

Achievement	Detail
Development	4 years
Animation	Revolutionary fluidity
Design	Time-limited platforming
Impact	Defined cinematic platformers

The Last Express (1997)

Art Nouveau adventure:

Real-time gameplay
1914 Orient Express setting
Rotoscoped characters
Commercial failure, critical acclaim

Screenwriting career

After Prince of Persia:

Film scripts
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (2010 film)
Graphic novels
Parallel career

Return to games

Project	Year
Sands of Time trilogy	2003-2005 (creative consultant)
Prince of Persia film	2010 (screenplay)
Karateka remake	2012

Design philosophy

Principle	Application
Animation quality	Movement feels real
Cinematic approach	Borrowed from film
Time pressure	Creates tension
Minimalism	Simple controls

Journals

Published development journals:

Making of Prince of Persia
Making of Karateka
Invaluable historical documents
Development insights

Legacy

Mechner established:

Rotoscoping in games
Cinematic platforming
Animation-first design
Developer as auteur

Prince of Persia creator