#Ubisoft Milan

[salamifuposey]

three at a time? he'd be glad to take on all of them! I'll just go plummet over there while the real show is about to begin! 🎙️🎼💕✨🌟🎶🎵 (I'm sure Rayman wants to pummel Phantom over his remarks against him)

[doamarierose-honoka]

Ubisoft Confirms It's Exploring New Rayman Ideas Amid Report Of A Remake

Creator Michel Ancel is consulting on the platformer's next phase

The original Rayman is the game that put Ubisoft on the map. It’s been over a decade since the last installment in the colorful platformer franchise, but the French publisher is currently in the “early stages” of exploring what will come next for the series’ titular limbless hero.

“We are pleased to confirm Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan have recently started an exploration phase on the Rayman brand,” a spokesperson for Ubisoft told Kotaku in an email. “The project is still in its early stages, and we will share more details later.” While a new Rayman might not be ready for some time, the upcoming project seems to be more than just an “exploration” at this point.

Ubisoft’s statement came after Insider Gaming reported that a Rayman remake, codenamed “Project Steambot,” is in early development, and that former members of the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team were moved to this new project after a sequel to that game was cancelled amid disappointing sales. Insider Gaming also reported that the original creator of Rayman, Michel Ancel, was consulting on the project, a move which rankled some developers at Ubisoft due to the former director’s reputation for toxic leadership.

The director, who had also previously been heading up Beyond Good and Evil 2, left the company in 2020 amid accusations of bullying fellow developers and being difficult to work with. He denied the allegations at the time, though Kotaku understands that there’s some lingering internal distrust among some employees over how the issues with Ancel were handled by the company.

“As creator of the Rayman brand, Michel Ancel is being consulted to ensure consistency within the universe,” the Ubisoft rep told Kotaku. The company declined to clarify precisely what his role on the project is and whether his involvement was a request of the studios involved or a decision imposed on them by Ubisoft management, including CEO Yves Guillemot, a long-time friend of Ancel’s.

We haven’t had a new Rayman since 2013's Rayman Legends, the series fifth installment, which received critical acclaim and went on to sell nearly 5 million copies across all platforms, including the Wii U and PlayStation Vita. While a remake of the 1995 Rayman wouldn’t technically be a new game in the series, it would probably feel like one given the transformation the PlayStation 1 game would likely go through to revitalize it for modern audiences.

And honestly, Rayman fans would take whatever they can get at this point. The character’s last appearance was in DLC for the Nintendo Switch’s Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, an excellent XCOM-style spin-off of a Rayman spin-off that nevertheless failed to meet Ubisoft’s internal sales expectations. That game was also made by the company’s Milan studio, which is reportedly leading development on the Rayman remake, and whose creative director left earlier this year after 25 years of service to start something new.

[smbhax]

Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers (GBC)

[bangpuddingmuffin]

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Admittedly, Chaos Theory was fairly disappointing on a replay. I had remembered it being great, but there's only a few solid levels before it dips down in quality fairly rapidly. The level design was often muddled, with it being very unclear where to go. The variety of environments was also lacking, with it feeling fairly samey. Maybe one of the more disappointing replays I've done.

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMOeTsMoezKb5WJBuQNu7MUp6Y_HEnzCq

[thereasonsimbroke]

Ubisoft is working on remaking the original #Rayman game, codenamed "Project Steambot." #Ubisoft Milan is leading the project.

Former members of the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team are involved, bringing their experience after Ubisoft chose not to pursue a sequel. Michel Ancel, the original creator of Rayman, is serving as a consultant, although concerns about his past allegations of toxic leadership have emerged.

Details about the remake's features and release date are still being worked out, but fans are excited by the combination of experienced developers and Rayman's nostalgic appeal. This initiative reflects Ubisoft's strategy of leveraging its legacy franchises while adapting to market demands.

[rabbidedge]

Little Milan-vlog☺️🇮🇹

I cannot believe, that my visit at Ubisoft Milan was already one year ago in September 2023!😲 Have just looked through the photos and videos we took, and it still feels like a dream.🥹✨️

I can remember the excitement and joy I felt and how much I talked and laughed and hugged everyone!🥰

I just edited a little Reel for you now.😍Of course I cannot show much, but I wanna share a little insight in this special trip with you.😊

[raymantogether]

Rayman Together Community Spotlight #3 - Clairiphi

Rayman Together Community Spotlight #3 - Clairiphi

Introduction:

Have you ever made your own Rayman comic book series? Growing up, I spent thousands of hours outside of playing the Rayman series creating comics and drawings, making my own adventures for Rayman and his friends. However, I never could create something as captivating and truly unique as the Rayman Nightmarish Series. Rayman Nightmarish stole my heart and is something that I have followed since 2020. Every few weeks to months, I eagerly anticipate the next chapter. There is something so personal about the art style and original characters, which I fell in love with. Every strip is full of personality and charm. I had the pleasure of meeting Clairiphi, AKA Chiara, during my visit to Ubisoft Milan. In person, Chiara is just as amazing as her series. So when I decided to make this Community Spotlight Series, I just had to make a segment on Chiara and her Rayman Nightmarish series.

1. Please introduce yourself.

"My name is Chiara; I go by Clairiphi on the web, and I'm a storyteller from Sardinia (Italy) who dabbles into drawing to accompany her stories. I hope one day, not too far from now, to become a professional comic writer if the comic industry in Europe gives me the chance. For now, I sadly remain an enthusiastic hobbyist."

2. What are you currently working on in the Rayman Community? 

"I’ve been publishing my fan comic Rayman Nightmarish for a few years with the frequent help of my partner Francesco (@thepinna on Instagram and Cara), who is a professional illustrator and studied as a comic artist as well. Without his teaching, I would be nowhere near where I am with my skill level. He taught me how to storyboard, how to efficiently use a drawing tablet, and helped me train my writing skills. He also offers his direct artistic input from time to time, when work hours permit him (for example, while I did the storyboards and pencil sketches for chapter 11, he did inks and colors)."

3. What is your inspiration behind Rayman Nightmarish?

"One December evening I was particularly bored and haven’t been writing since the beginning of high school, but that evening I was coming from a long period of frustration regarding the school path I chose, and coincidentally, I was also back on my Rayman obsession because I was playing Legends and Origins. I had this fairy character (Waaty) and a horrific, almost lovecraftian villain (The Lighteater) in mind for a while, and all of a sudden I said, “You know what? Let’s stop daydreaming and write an actual story!” I took a huge empty notebook from my desk drawer, and a bunch of years later, here we are!"

4. For any newcomers, what is the story of Rayman Nightmarish about?

"With Rayman Nightmarish, I aimed to narrate a classic Rayman adventure, with the humor, the combats, the voyage across fantastical places... And zombies! Yeah, I love horror, and of course there was going to be a twist. But no worries! This is still a story for all ages, like Rayman always was after all.  An ancient evil called The Lighteater is rising from the depths of the sea and is going to bring a dark plague that will soon turn The Glade of Dreams into The Glade of Nightmares. Of course it is Rayman's job to save the day once again, with the help of Globox and a few unexpected friends, like Waaty, the livid dead fairy with strange clairvoyant abilities...and many others along the way! Will he be able to do it this time? Very likely knowing his records, but this could actually be more challenging than he thought."

5. Is there anything new or unreleased you can share?

"I’ve actually been working on a new original fantasy series for a while. The story is already all planned, I'm in love with the characters and every process I came across during the planning of the plot. I hope with all my heart that I'll be able to bring it to life, not as a webcomic but as a fool-blown series for comic stores’ shelves."

6. What made you fall in love with the Rayman series?

"When I was a little girl, I didn’t have much social skills, and my first ever playmate, before my brother was born, was my dear cousin, who one day came to me with a copy of Rayman 3; his parents got him somewhere during a trip. That game changed my brain chemistry because as soon as I saw the fairy council level, I was hypnotized, and I wasn’t even the one playing! The music, the scenery, the jokes—I don’t know, but every time we played it, I came home wishing I was still in that world. Then a few years later, my cousin got a PS3 and gave me and my brother his PS2, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and Rayman 3. I was so happy! My first ever “comic” was a very cringy Rayman fanfiction I wrote in middle school, kind of an ancestor of Rayman Nightmarish in a way, haha! I thank my cousin every day for showing me that game that evening, and if he were still here today, I bet he would think Rayman Nightmarish looks pretty sick (especially in comparison to his middle school predecessor)."

7. What is your favorite Rayman game?

"I think it’s pretty clear by now that it’s Rayman 3 since it comes with so many dear memories, but I really liked playing both Origins and Legends in co-op with my brother when they came out. They were really fun to play with others! While I’ve always considered Rayman 3 like an intimate journey to take alone in a fantasy world, as silly as it sounds. Haha!"

8. Who is your favorite Rayman character?

"I’m going to be very unoriginal and say it’s Rayman because it’s true."

9. Tell us about your time at Ubisoft Milan.

"It was better than Disneyland! I felt like a kid again being able to hang out with a team of professionals behind a whole videogame. Not only was I happy, I felt seen, like, “Woah! These guys know I exist and even asked me to come here, hello???” Pretty surreal experience!"

10. Other than playing Rayman, what are your favorite things to do?

"I’m going to be completely honest; I haven’t been playing a Rayman game since the dawn of time. Haha! Back when I was a little girl, I wasn't much of a gamer and only played Rayman games because I didn’t care for the others. Now I love my switch, and I found many more games I love to spend time with. Rayman still has a special place in my heart, because it’s thanks to it that I found out I was actually meant for writing stories. Two of my other favorite things to do (besides writing and drawing, which are obvious) are reading books and watching movies, and in both cases, my favorite genre is horror. I also like to play fantasy TTRPG games like D&D or Pathfinder from time to time; they are very stimulating for the imagination."

11. Tell us something interesting or funny about yourself that we might not already know. 

"I’ve actually graduated (both bachelor’s and master’s degree) from a music conservatory in classical piano and never taken a single class in any art school. Sometimes I feel stupid about my past choices, and sometimes I’m glad because learning to play an instrument on a professional level has helped me build discipline and time management skills that helped me greatly in the writing process."

12. Do you have any hidden talents?

"I don’t know much about "talent,” but I do love to sing in my car, and I can memorize the entire script of a movie if I like it a lot. Haha! I remember when I was in elementary school, I used to recite Madagascar to myself when it was past bedtime, but I didn’t want to sleep."

13. What is one thing you can’t live without?

"Besides my air conditioner, I think I would go insane if something happened to any of my writing devices. I keep all my notes scattered between my computer, my iPad, and many physical journals. While clouds are essential, sometimes I just need an actual piece of paper and a pencil to figure out a scene or a plot point."

Want to discover more about the Rayman Nightmarish series? This is my link tree where new readers can find the best social media platforms to either catch up with the story or stay tuned for any exciting news:

[rjfayart]

Grazie, Davide!

This was posted weeks ago on my Twitter, but I liked it so much I decided to share it here as well.

This was made to commemorate Davide Soliani’s 25-year run with Ubisoft Milan. In his time with the studio, he did some things I thought were impossible: 1.) Bring back Rayman, and 2.) made me like the Rabbids again! Having been a longtime Rayman fan since I was six (my first game was Rayman 2 on the N64), seeing what he and the talented team at Ubisoft Milan did to bring him back in the Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope DLC felt like being reunited with a long-lost friend! His passion and dedication to his craft is nothing short of inspiring, and I hope it takes him far, wherever he goes next. I hope I speak for all Rayman fans when I say thank you, Davide, for everything—and best wishes!

[evanwhosjusthere]

Video Game Artist Spotlight: Fabio Pochet

Fabio Pochet (pictured on the left) is a freelance artist stationed in Milan, Italy. He has worked for companies like Disney, making art for various comics and products related to their characters. He later joined Ubisoft in 2015 as a senior concept artist. Making his gaming debut with Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017) and its DLC. He was later called back in for the sequel Sparks of Hope (2022), reprising his role as concept artist but was also promoted to art director for the base game and its DLC.

His Instagram

His ArtStation

Titles Worked On:

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017) - Senior Concept Artist

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (2022) - Senior Concept Artist, Art Director

[randomrabbidramblings]

Do you remember that post where @strawbunniiee measured Phantom's height in Kingdom Battle?

He was measured using Peach as a reference and he was a bit less than 5m (16.4ft) tall if I recall correclty.

I just wanted to make a new one as now we have an even more reliable measurement as he actually stands still next to a character we know the height of.

Behold the new unit of measure: the Rabbid Mario. Which is approximatively 1.50m (4.9ft) according to the life size statue of him in the Ubisoft Milan Studios.

With this, we can accurately say Phantom is almost 3 Rabbid Marios tall, so almost 4.50m (14.7ft) tall.

And for his thiccness waist size he's 2 Rabbid Marios, so 3m (9.8ft).

A TRUE CHONK

[salamifuposey]

a little Phantom and Princess Peach <3 ✨ sharing the spotlight ✨💕

[doamarierose-honoka]

In 2010, Rayman was dead. After two popular minigame collections with his then-co-stars, the Rabbids, Rayman was usurped from his throne as Ubisoft’s mascot and relegated to cameo appearances in games like Academy of Champions: Soccer. Sam Fisher has suffered a similar fate recently.

Then, a miracle - Ubisoft released Rayman Origins, a gorgeous 2D platformer with excellent movement, incredible music, and enough charm to make you forget all about the limbless wonder getting kicked out of his own series. Not a Rabbid in sight.

Origins was an incredible new beginning for Rayman, but it was only the beginning. Two years later, Ubisoft Montpellier did it again with Rayman Legends. Not content to simply be an improvement on the first game, Legends was one of the best 2D platforming games of all time. It looked like things were only going to get better.

Unfortunately, despite massive critical success, Rayman faded into the background once more, with only a few minor mobile games since then. Now, his long decade of silence is finally over thanks to Ubisoft Milan who, ironically enough, have brought Rayman back in a game that stars the very creatures who originally kicked him out.

“I would say that I started thinking about the DLC as soon as I saw the work on Sparks of Hope going in the right direction,” Sparks of Hope’s creative director Davide Solani tells me. “I loved the idea of closing this fantastic journey of Sparks of Hope with Rayman, as Rabbids were originally introduced in a Rayman game. I felt it was the correct thing to do”.

Rayman in the Phantom Show marks Rayman’s first appearance in a game in some time, which gave Ubisoft Milan the opportunity to redesign the character for his reintroduction, which also marks the first time he’s been in 3D since his Super Smash Bros. Trophy model in 2014.

Solani tells me that extensive work went into designing Rayman’s new look for the game, with the idea being to aim for something “new, current, and fitting for our universe”. Specific effort went into Rayman’s facial expressions and the body and shoes, for which the team challenged themselves to “dare a little” by introducing pockets and a larger hood to give the limbless wonder more comfort and a sense of identity outside of adventuring.

Of course, one of the most important elements of Rayman’s design is his hair which, beyond the whole lack of limbs thing he’s got going on, is one of the key parts of the character’s identity. Rayman’s hair is used both to fly and to look fly, and it’s a core part of this look.

“[It’s] one of the most 'representative' parts of the character,” Solani says. “We wanted to avoid just an indistinct mass, but also not to go overboard with details. We therefore focused on creating this balance between volume and details. A fully animatable tuft that would help to underline the character's charisma and emotions.”

Rayman may have a new design this time around, but Sparks of Hope isn’t above referencing the hero’s past. The Phantom Show is stuffed with nods to Rayman’s history, including reworked versions of his combat fatigues from Hoodlum Havoc, a cutout of Globox and some plum juice from the same game, a cardboard recreation of the first level from the adventure that started it all, and even some shoutouts to the pirates from Rayman 2.

Another Easter Egg Solani points out is Rayman’s weapon in the game, which resembles the plunger gun that he used in Raving Rabbids. You’d think that Rayman would want to avoid memories of that particular encounter considering everything that happened after, but he’s rocking a brand-new one in the Phantom Show.

“I loved the idea of paying a tribute to the plunger, in a way,” Solani tells me. “With my team, we’ve imagined how a new plunger could look like years later, and how this new basic weapon could be transformed through the various costume transformations, and what special ability could result from each. It was a fun process for us.”

It’s not just Rayman himself who returns for the Phantom Show, as the DLC also sees the return of David Gasman, the voice of the limbless wonder for nearly all of the games in the series before Douglas Rand took over the role for Origins, Legends, and the mobile spin-offs.

“Like many players, for me, David Gasman is Rayman’s voice. Also, we did use David as Rabbid Mario in Sparks of Hope, and it was a tremendously fun experience working with him. The idea of having him going crazy to voice both Rayman and Rabbid Mario was too good to miss. “

One of the most interesting things about the DLC is that it’s not just a reunion between Rayman and the player, it’s a reunion between Rayman and the Rabbids as well. The limbless wonder hasn’t been on-screen with them properly since TV Party, with only a small cameo from the screaming nuisances in Rayman Adventures between then and now.

The DLC plays into this time gap, with Rayman holding a grudge against the Rabbids when he first runs into them. Solani says that this was one of the ideas that the team worked with and that they loved seeing Rayman and the Rabbids bickering, but that they start to work together across the expansion, as Rayman quickly gets over his grudges in the name of being a hero.

Rayman in the Phantom Show closes the door on Rayman’s past while being brutally honest about the hero’s long absence. It has fans wondering if the DLC opens another door for his future, one that many want Ubisoft Milan to be involved with.

“We don’t know yet what we’ll do in the future,” Solani says. “But I can assure you that working on Rayman was a true honour for all of us.”

[pixies-and-poets]

Hello! Hope the Covid situation is going well and you, fiance and doggo are all alright!

To lift up the mood, I just relized if in the Space Opera Network there's a set for a cooking show, this silly skit might become reality, lol.

Thank you!! I'm pretty much back to normal (and Victor never caught it!! ...Nor did Shadow XD), although I have been more tired than usual since recovering, but I don't know if that's just because I have been sitting around too much and gotten lazy, lol.

YES, I was thinking about this, and also when we were talking about Phantom hanging around the Ubisoft Milan office to whine at them... What if he possessed the doll as a means of entering our dimension? Remember when he fell off the shelf in the background lol

On the Space Opera Network, I can imagine him trying to upstage any of his guests. Like he has invited Alkementor for a cooking show but as he's explaining how to make the perfect sparkling water, Phantom pops through the wall and is like "Why don't you try this?? Don't you think this flavor would work better??"

[bangpuddingmuffin]

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

Pandora Tomorrow was fine, but it was a slightly less janky version of the original. I don't see any real reason not to skip straight to Chaos Theory.

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMOeTsMoezKZBhP7XUU-vLvcsjwFpCZhd

[zelenbug]

i started my second ever rayman 2 playthrough (my first one was in april 2020) on halloween and only just now got through iron mountains. i am sure taking this Very Slowly (im almost done though)

anyway this is an uglette post

i hope shes in ubisoft milan's rayman game or something. from sparks of hope (from what i can tell, havent played it) they have a really good track record with having really good female characters and also like. actually caring about rayman series a LOT

just please just let her be in more than one game (where she doesnt even really do anything). also i want more stuff to go off of for her characterisation im just making up almost everything about her in my head at this point

[rabbidedge]

Edge meeting Rayman in the end...😁🫰🏼💚💜🧡

My new hero and my childhood hero together in one photo...🥹🙌🏼✨️

This photo was taken last September during my visit of Ubisoft Milan...