Alarm bells were ringing in the early hours of last night that Ubisoft Montpellier, the studio behind the development of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, would be shutting down. A report that we had kept under quarantine until we could confirm it first hand, and which we can now thankfully deny. However, we can now shed a little more light on the matter, based on the latest information provided by Insider Gaming.
The news portal has revealed that members of the development team behind The Lost Crown, a brilliant game that has not been accompanied by good sales, have not indeed lost their jobs at the company, but have been reassigned to another project in development. Specifically to one known as Project Steambot, which until now has been centralised at Ubisoft Milan. And what game is hidden under that codename? None other than the return of the Rayman franchise.
Steambot is actually Rayman Remake (pending a final title) and will see the character return to the forefront. And while it's good to hear that workers won't lose their jobs, it's not all positive on the job front.
Controversial Rayman creator Michel Ancel, known for his scandals and allegations of fostering a toxic work environment at Ubisoft, is attached to the project as a consultant. This, according to the report's sources, has created some insecurity among recent employees on the project.
It's not yet clear which Rayman is being worked on for a remake, but if it means a return in the form of a 3D adventure, many gamers around the world are sure to be excited.