Ubisoft confirmed to Eurogamer that new Rayman projects at its Montpellier and Milan studios are currently in the “exploration phase,” and recent reports online suggested that work on an unannounced Rayman remake has begun.
News that a Rayman remake is in development has surfaced for the first time via Insider Gamingthe company claimed that the game (reportedly codenamed Project Steambot) was “cobbled together” by a dozen members of Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team.
More controversially, the site reports that Rayman creator Michel Ansel is also serving as a consultant on the project. Ansel, who worked at Ubisoft for 30 years, allegedly left Ubisoft in 2020 following an investigation into employee complaints, alleging that his leadership was toxic – his behavior was said to be so bad that more managers were hired as Ansel The middleman between Serge and his team. Ancel publicly refuted the report, calling it “fake news,” but Insider Gaming claims that his recent involvement as an advisor on the new Rayman project “had an unwelcome impact” on its development and “caused the team to members’ concerns.”
Eurogamer contacted Ubisoft to find out more about the situation and received the following response from a company spokesperson: “We are pleased to confirm that Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan have recently begun an exploratory phase for the Rayman brand. The project is still in its early stages , and we will share more details later, as the creator of the Rayman brand, we are consulting with Michel Ancel to ensure consistency in the universe.”
Regardless of the reasons for Ancel’s involvement, Ubisoft’s hiring decision reportedly upset employees as his departure in 2020 comes as the company faces a dramatic reckoning following employee complaints about toxic working conditions It comes as no surprise, following a wave of serious accusations. Several senior managers resigned.
After confirming that the team behind this year’s critically acclaimed Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has disbanded, Ubisoft has announced a new Rayman project. While some of its members are said to be working on Rayman now, Insider Gaming claims that other members have moved on to Ubisoft’s long-running Beyond Good and Evil 2 and the next Ghost Recon.