Jordan Mechner, the developer luminary behind the Prince of Persia series, has announced that his indie remake of the game Karateka will be downloadable on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later this year. Mechner himself is taking an active role as Creative Developer for the first time since 2003's Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.

On his blog, Mechner measures the changes in the new Karateka by the Prince of Persia series. He says it's a "more radical" change than the 2007 Prince of Persia Classic, but less so than Sands of Time. He calls it a remake and re-imagining of the original game.

"I want to show that a game can be simple fun while also telling a human story in a way that's emotional, atmospheric, and beautiful," Mechner said. "I've been encouraged to see gamers embrace downloadable titles like Limbo and Braid - games that stand out because of their design integrity and strong artistic choices, although they were made on modest budgets and don't represent technological breakthroughs. The industry is changing fast. It's an exciting time for indie."

Mechner says his team is looking into releasing the game for platforms besides PSN and XBLA, and will update with more details in the coming months.