Ubisoft broke many hearts in February when it abruptly canceled the release of the Wii U exclusive Rayman Legends just weeks before it was supposed to come out. Nintendo’s shareholders watched another exclusive disappear and fans were outraged that Ubisoft would alter an original game just to beef up potential profits with an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release. Even the game’s creators at Ubisoft Montpellier took to the Internet to protest the game’s treatment. The decision had been made though, and there was no changing it. At least the Montpellier team is using its extra time for constructive ends.
Speaking with the UK’s Official Nintendo Magazine, Rayman creator Michael Ancel and senior game manager Michael Micholic have said that their team is trying to soothe the savage beast of fan outrage by adding a sizable amount of content to the game. These additions aren’t just a measly challenge mode or art gallery, either.
“Trust me, the things we are adding aren’t minor,” said Micholic, “We’re not talking about adding some polish here and there, but thirty new levels and several new bosses.”
Predecessor Rayman Origins was a sprawling, lengthy game with many challenging levels and it topped out at just over sixty stages. The Montpelier team had already promised a larger game than Origins in Legends, and now the game may be more than double the size. Not a bad trade off for having to wait six extra months for the game to come out.
Even with a substantially bigger game on the way, Ancel wasn’t surprised by the vitriolic response of Rayman’s fans.
“No I wasn’t shocked, but it was really hard for us,” said Ancel, “Of course, there are important issues and problems in the world but we worked really hard to make something and were so involved, it was difficult for us and the fans.”
Rumors popped up following the delay of Legends suggesting that Ancel would resign from Ubisoft after the game came out, acting as a consultant on future projects with the publisher rather than as a full-time employee. Ubisoft denied these rumors and as of now it looks like Ancel is sticking with the company he’s spent the past two decades with. That’s good news, not just for Rayman diehards, but those of us holding our breath for Beyond Good and Evil 2 for the better part of a decade now.
