Ubisoft has admitted that they are working on a new Rayman game with its original creator, as they start ‘an exploration phase’ on the brand.
Almost all video game news leaks out before it’s officially announced, especially anything to do with Ubisoft, but it’s unusual for a publisher to immediately admit a story is real, if they haven’t also got an official reveal planned.
Yesterday, rumours emerged that Ubisoft is planning a Rayman remake, in part with some of the team that worked on Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown, and today they’ve confirmed they’re in the ‘early stage’ of a new Rayman project.
They haven’t said whether it’s a remake or not, and perhaps they’re not sure themselves yet, but they’ve also confirmed that controversial series creator Michel Ancel is involved to ‘ensure consistency within the universe.’
‘We are pleased to confirm Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan have recently started an exploration phase on the Rayman brand,’ a spokesperson told Kotaku. ‘The project is still in its early stages, and we will share more details later.’
‘As creator of the Rayman brand, Michel Ancel is being consulted to ensure consistency within the universe,’ they added.
Although there’s no confirmation of what the game is, the involvement of Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan is exactly what was rumoured, so there’s good reason to assume the other details of the original leak are also accurate.
However, even if you assume what they’re working on is a remake, it’s still uncertain which game is getting the treatment. If it’s the original 2D platformer from 1995 that would be a huge amount of work, especially as it wasn’t even considered that good a game at the time.
Original story:
It seems that some of the developers from Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time are helping out on a new Rayman game but it’s already proving controversial.
Back in the 90s every publisher worth their salt had some kind of cartoon mascot, from icons like Sonic The Hedgehog to more obscure picks, like Jack Frost for Atlus. Ubisoft’s was Rayman, a limbless platform star who had surprisingly few games to himself but lots of spin-offs and cameos.
He was largely superseded by the Rabbids, after introducing them in 2006’s Rayman Raving Rabbids, but he still turns up now and again, such as in DLC for Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope and a board game.
Now it’s been suggested that a remake of one of his previous games is underway but apparently the project is already a controversial one within Ubisoft.
Earlier this week it was confirmed that Ubisoft has disbanded the team behind Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown, although studio Ubisoft Montpellier will not be shut down. Instead, some of the developers have apparently been moved over to work on other projects and it’s claimed that the Rayman remake is one of them.
The primary studio involved is reported to be Ubisoft Milan, who made the two Mario + Rabbids games, with the remake supposedly having the codename of Project Steambot.
According to Insider Gaming, original series creator Michel Ancel is involved with the remake as a consultant but apparently this has raised some concerns amongst the team, as he originally left Ubisoft Montpellier following accusations of ‘toxic leadership.’
At no point does Insider Gaming clarify which Rayman game is being remade but it does suggest that the other staff at Ubisoft Montpellier are working on Beyond Good And Evil 2 and the next, currently unannounced, Ghost Recon title (the latter probably in a support role).
Which Rayman game is being remade?
Rayman has only starred in five mainline games, with his first being a rather unremarkable 2D platformer from 1995. It’s hard to imagine how a remake of that might work but Rayman 2: The Great Escape from 1999 is a 3D title and was relatively well regarded at the time.
After the so-so Rayman 3 in 2003 there wasn’t another standalone game until Rayman Origins in 2011 and its follow-up Rayman Legends a few years later. These were 2D platformers, but in a more modern style and are easily the best two Rayman titles. But given the nature of their graphics they don’t really need a remake.
The term remake and remaster are often used interchangeably in the industry, even though they mean two different things, but even so it’s very hard to guess at what might be going on, other than apparently a new Rayman release of some kind.
The original Rayman doesn’t seem an obvious target for a remake (Ubisoft)
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