Rayman’s last apperance was in Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope (Ubisoft)
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He was largely superseded by the Rabbids, after introducing them in 2006’s Rayman Raving Rabbids, but he still turns up now and again, such as in DLC for Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope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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