Ubisoft is looking into rebooting the Rayman franchise, a company spokesperson told Tech Reader following an earlier report about a potential series remake.
Team members from Ubisoft Montpellier — many of whom had just worked on Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown — have teamed up with Ubisoft Milan to explore the possibility of new games. Milan previously worked on the Mario + Rabbids games, which most recently featured Rayman in the aptly named Rayman in the Phantom Show DLC.
The project is very much in the early stages of development. “We are pleased to confirm Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan have recently started an exploration phase on the Rayman brand. The project is still in its early stages, and we will share more details later,” the spokesperson said.
One person on the project is Fawzi Mesmar, who became VP of editorial at the company in 2021 and was working on Beyond Good & Evil 2. The spokesperson also confirmed that Rayman series creator Michel Ancel is on the project as a consultant “to ensure consistency within the universe.” Ancel was also originally the director on Beyond Good & Evil 2, but left the video game industry in 2020 to work on a wildlife sanctuary. However, Kotaku (via French newspaper Libération) reported that it was amidst an investigation into his “toxic management style.”
Ubisoft’s statement is in response to reports that it was working specifically on a Rayman remake with members from The Lost Crown team. Tech Reader confirmed Tuesday that most of the developers at Montpellier who were working on the Metroidvania were moved to other projects. Insider Gaming claims they’re now developing on Beyond Good & Evil 2, a new mainline Ghost Recon game, and the Rayman remake.
The Rayman series has a long history at Ubisoft Montpellier, first releasing in 1995. The last main series Rayman game, Rayman Legends, came out in 2013. The Rabbids have been the face of the series over the past decade with the Mario + Rabbids games and other spinoffs.
