Ubisoft has confirmed rumors in the corridors for a few days: the iconic Rayman license is preparing its return. Its much-maligned creator, Michel Ancel, returns as a consultant.
We thought we left him at his little zoo in 2020, but he is back. Who ? Rayman creator and Ubisoft history Michel Ancel.
After a few days of rumors, notably about the fate of the development team Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown including the media Origami revealed the disbandment earlier this week, Ubisoft confirmed the move of part of the team to a new project.
A project based on the historic Rayman license, not seen since Rayman Legends in 2013, otherwise as a reference in the game's DLC Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. The publisher also confirmed the return of creator Michel Ancel as “ consultant ».
The return of the “dark side of BGE 2”?
The new project concerns the studios in Milan, but also in Montpellier, the studio where Michel Ancel worked before his departure in 2020.
His discreet departure followed numerous revelations in the press, notably at Liberationtoxic management on the part of Michel Ancel on the game Beyond Good and Evil 2.
All testify to the same suffering caused by a creative director who we are told “toxic”, but also by an ubuesque organization designed around his person, and the impression that he acts with complete impunity, protected by his privileged relationship with the CEO of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot.
Liberation
No sexual harassment here, as has been described by other investigations concerning Ubisoft, notably by Numerama. Rather, we describe a toxic artist with a completely changeable mood: “He is capable of explaining to you that you are a genius, that your idea is great, only to tear you down in a meeting by saying that you are nothing but shit, that your work is worthless and then not speaking to you for a month. He is someone who has a creative process which is based on erosion, the erosion of his vision and the people around him.”
A creator who has also clearly failed to evolve with the expansion of the teams necessary for the production of ambitious games on modern platforms: “ Michel needs the ideas to belong to him. He often prefers to improvise something of his own rather than listen to the team and look at the structured work that we have done at his request.e ».
Should we protect employees again?
In 2024, Michel Ancel is therefore back in an official role at Ubisoft, just four years after the investigations pointing the finger at him. Worse, he is back on a project concerning Ubisoft Montpellier, with teams who may already have known him, while the French publisher has many other studios around the world. This return also takes place in the context of a historic social movement at Ubisoft.
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So is the wolf back in the fold? Officially, Michel Ancel only has a consulting role on this new fledgling production around Rayman.
Between the lines, however, we fear an understatement on the part of Ubisoft management. This has not really changed since the days of Michel Ancel, and Yves Guillemot is still at the head of the group. Four years ago, the CEO did not hesitate to defend Michel Ancel at all costs: “ it is up to staff representatives and human resources to find ways to protect the people who work with them ».
