Ubisoft threatened to remake the hardest game I played as a kid, but axed it

"Hi, folks! You wanna know what's going on?" If a cold bead of sweat just ran down your forehead in response to reading this, you'll already know what's up. The original 1995 Rayman is, categorically, one of the toughest games of its era; its cutesy kid-friendly art style belying its diabolically hellish platforming. It walked so Hollow Knight's Path of Pain could run (or nail jump). Well, as it turns out, Ubisoft nearly inflicted a remake of the all-time classic on a new generation of unsuspecting tykes, until it was quietly shelved in 2021.

The '90s was a golden era for platformers. From Oddworld to Super Mario 64, Commander Keen to Disney's The Lion King, there was a veritable trove of side-scrolling and 3D bangers to be enjoyed. One of the best platform games of that era was, of course, Rayman, which among Ubisoft's huge catalog of games is the one that really put the developer-publisher on the map. Some of my earliest gaming memories had me dodging spikes and hooking hoops repeatedly, just so I could brag to my friends about my modicum of progress at school the next day. To me, there was no greater challenge.

It's now been over a decade since Rayman had his last proper run out, which is weird considering the universal acclaim Rayman Legends received, alongside the Rabbid-mania that was running wild in the early 2000s. It's not like the appetite for complex platforming has disappeared since then - Hollow Knight Silksong says hi. As it transpires, Ubi did have plans to resurrect the series via a remake of the game started it all, but, unfortunately, it never made it out of the concept stages.

This is according to VFX artist Phong (via 'Rayman Together' on X), who says that they had a trial with Ubi back in 2021, working specifically on a redesign for a Rayman remake. Titled 'Rayman Forever' or 'The Story of Rayman,' based on the logo concepts shared, much of the ideation focused on The Magician. As Phong notes, "the project did not proceed."

It's an unceremoniously disappointing end to what could have been a tidy little money-spinner for Ubi, at a time when studios are turning to past glories to secure their futures. Though, considering Ubi's various, well-documented financial issues over the past few years, which has led to multiple game cancellations, delays, and layoffs, there's no guarantee a Rayman remake would've survived the cull even if it had made it out of its initial development phase.

While Rayman Forever, or The Story of Rayman, or whatever it would've eventually been called, is just another industry what-if, you can at least tuck into some of the best co-op games and best indie games on our lists that will give you a similar experience.

If you're impatiently waiting for the Rayman revival to finally arrive, let us know over in our community Discord server; we're here to support you in your plight.