A long-overdue conversation with Jordan Mechner
After nearly a decade of annual invitations, PC Gamer finally hosted a roundtable discussion with Jordan Mechner, the creator of Prince of Persia, at the 2024 San Francisco Game Developer’s Conference. The journalist first reached out to Mechner in 2014, requesting his participation, but the legendary developer politely declined each year due to living in Paris. The persistence ultimately succeeded in 2024 when Mechner joined a discussion alongside other gaming industry veterans from the early PC gaming era, including figures from LucasArts’ classic adventure game lineup.
The roundtable represents a rare gathering of pioneers who shaped PC gaming’s foundational era. Prince of Persia stands as one of the medium’s early masterpieces, establishing action-adventure game conventions that remain influential decades later. Mechner’s participation in the discussion highlights the importance of preserving and documenting the perspectives of gaming’s earliest innovators as the industry continues to evolve. The long-awaited conversation underscores the value of persistence in capturing gaming history through interviews with its most influential creators.