Quickly conjuring excitement online, it seemed Ubisoft was teasing a brand new addition to theRaymanfranchise on its Facebook page, posting several pieces of concept art featuring the iconic mascot. The images were accompanied by the teaser: “Something is coming in Montpellier’s studio …What could happen in your opinion? Clue: No, this is not a new game.”
Naturally, many were excited about thisupcomingRaymanproject, however, speculation seemed to be getting out of hand, with fans not heeding Ubisoft’s advice and hyping themselves up for a brand new game in the series. In return, it seems the publisher has seen fit to re-clarify the nature of the project, taking to Facebook to apologize for overhyping theRaymanfanbase.
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“You may have recently seen a post on our page that includes visuals from Rayman and may be confusing. We would like to apologize for this misunderstanding,” the statement reads, cementing that the posts did not confirm a new iteration of the franchise. “We are working on many other great game projects and/or events concerning the studio’s games,” it states, reminding players to “stay connected,” and await further updates surrounding future Ubisoft Montpellier projects. Not long before the statement was released,Ubisoftalso took down the previous tease, evidently in an effort to show fans that it wasn’t alluding to a future game in the franchise.
It’s not hard to understand why fans were so excited over the potential of a newRaymangame, with the character not having a major console entry sinceRayman Legendsback in 2013. It’s easily one of Ubisoft’s more iconic franchises as well, with the originalRaymanhitting shelves back in 1995. Since then, the series has gone on to become a seminal platforming giant, spawning numerous sequels and even a spin-off series inRaving Rabbids,which has since made a name in its own right.
Of course, one of the original creators ofRayman,Michel Ancel, retired from Ubisoft very recently, leaving behind his career in video games to start a wildlife sanctuary. He was originally working onBeyond Good and Evil 2,which will be Ubisoft Montpellier’s next big game, following up its widely acclaimed cult-classic predecessor that launched back in 2003. Hopefully,Raymanwill get the same treatment next, returning with a big-budget reinvention of the series that looks to channel what made the character’s best outings click. Until then, it seems Ubisoft doesn’t want fans to get the impression that the character will be returning in a new video game anytime soon.
