Try as they might, Ubisoft can’t calm they anger they brewed with consumers over their seven-month delay of “Rayman Legends”. Originally scheduled for February as a Wii U exclusive, the sequel to 2011’s “Rayman Origins” was delayed until September to coincide with the just announced Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. To hold Wii U owners off until then, Ubisoft promised them on their official Facebook an exclusive demo of the game. However, their peace offering fell on deaf ears, as the Miiverse community continues to blast the company for delaying the finished Wii U game in favor of a simultaneous release. Now, in a surprise sign of support for Wii U owners, the developers behind “Rayman Legends” are protesting Ubisoft’s controversial decision to delay the anticipated 2D platfromer.
Well-respected French game designer and Rayman creator, Michael Ancel, was photographed with the rest of his team as they held a banner that, according to Eurogamer, reads "Release Rayman. Support Ubisoft Montpellier." It’s a very bold move by the team to protest against their own company, but if the words from a former Ubisoft employee on Elotrolado are true, than the “Rayman Legends” team are more upset about the situation than Wii U owners are. Here’s his English-translated post from Gaming Everything:
I completely understand you but you have to understand one thing. This is not a decision taken by the development team, this comes from really really high up, so please don’t pick on the game.
If you’re pissed, imagine how we feel. Think on the situation, we’ve been making overtime with this game practically since May preparing E3, and then almost a demo per month (gamescon, Wii U presentation, shops, eShop, etc…) and at the same time trying to actually finish the game. We had a first delay because it was obvious we couldn’t finish on time but we gave it all to be there on February. What face do you think we had when the week we had to close the game we’re being told it’s not going to be released? I couldn’t believe it.
For practical matters, you’ll have to wait for some months for the game to be released and will most likely serve for more content to be added and do it better. For us, this means we’ve spent 6 months barely seeing our wifes, kids, and friends for nothing because, after all, such a haste wasn’t needed. Believe it, it was a hell to swallow these news.
It’s unclear if the protest by Ancel and the rest of the developers at Ubisoft Montpellier will have an effect on the main branch’s decision to withhold “Rayman Legends”, however, the backlash over the Wii U delay has definitely impacted Ubisoft. A day after they announced the controversial move, Ubisoft posted a job listing for a new public relations manager.
Comments