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Two of Ubisoft's artsy 'indies' are coming to Nintendo Switch
It seems like almost everything is getting ported to the Nintendo Switch. Next up are a pair of Ubisoft's internal UbiArt "indie" games, Child of Light and Valiant Hearts: The Great War. Like Kotaku notes, they're a bit older at this point having been released in 2014, but with how much of a runaway success the Switch has been, can you really blame Ubisoft here?
Child of Light is Ubisoft's whimsical ode to JRPGs
Child of Light has its roots in Japanese role-playing games, which creative director Patrick Plourde hopes to honor in his whimsical dream come true. Coming to Xbox 360, Wii U, PS3, PC, Xbox One and PS4, Child of Light focuses on a young princess named Aurora who is whisked away to the kingdom of Lemuria, only to find its inhabitants turned into crows. The girl, along with her mystical blue orb companion, called Igniculus , must discover what has taken the land down a strange path.
Rayman Legends highlighted for Wii U, not necessarily exclusive
Ubisoft is "not really saying it's a Wii U exclusive," but Rayman Legends is certainly positioned as a major launch game for Nintendo's new hardware. Above: Senior Game Manager Michael Micholic gives us a brief recap of Rayman's next outing and some of the 3D enhancements made to the beautiful UbiArt framework.
Rayman Origins Collector's Edition is exclusive to Europe
Ubisoft's limbless helicopter-head hero is appearing with a little more physical fanfare in Europe. The publisher is wrapping his gorgeous return to 2D, Rayman Origins, in a Collector's Edition for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this November. Even the packaging itself is special. The quality of the 50-page art book will likely match the visuals we've seen coming from the UbiArt framework (which integrates high-resolution illustrations and pairs them with a skeletal animation system), and the soundtrack will probably be described as "whimsical," but forget all that. The box itself folds into a cute diorama depicting mischief makers Rayman and Globox. Ubisoft has confirmed to Joystiq that this edition of Rayman Origins, currently listed at GBP 54.99 on Amazon UK, is only coming to Europe -- soon to be the origin of quite a few imports, we imagine.
Ancel wants Rayman Origins' UbiArt to be open-source
The UbiArt technology, which is currently being put to use on Rayman Origins, will be as free and open as the space between Rayman's hand and body, if Michel Ancel has his way. Speaking to Develop, he expressed his desire to release the framework as open-source, to benefit other developers keen on making animated 2D games. "If you look at the best artists at Disney for example," Ancel told Develop, "they create incredible books and artwork and share their processes – it's interesting because those same people are happy to look at how other artists are developing their style. That whole medium has evolved on the basis of sharing ideas. But in games we lock it all in a black box and keep it to ourselves." Ancel hopes that the tools will inspire small devs: "It is more interesting to have a community and share our content." When Rayman Origins was first announced at E3 2010, it was accompanied by samples of other 2D games with varying art styles also made in the UbiArt framework. Even so, this plan hasn't actually been finalized yet. While he believes the technology will be offered freely, Ubisoft executives still have to make the final decision about licensing terms.
Rayman Origins to be 'a big event,' Ubisoft CEO says
Pictured above: Rayman, floppy-haired hero and decliner of limbs, along with dim-witted partner in mischief, Globox. They've been missing since December 2010, but we're happy to report that they're not dead. In an MCV interview published today, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said Rayman Origins was "very much" a Michel Ancel project. So, a bizarre information blackout following a promising announcement was to be expected. "There will be a new Rayman game, Rayman Origins, by Michel Ancel," Guillemot said. "It will be HD in 2D and it will be a big event for the whole industry." It's unclear whether the game will still be episodic, as originally planned, or if it will still be a downloadable title. Ubisoft has not answered any of our specific questions regarding Rayman Origins during the last three months. Aside from being a return to Rayman's roots, the game serves as a showcase for the UbiArt development framework, which allows the incorporation of detailed drawings from a variety of sources into a skeletal animation system. In other words: game so, so pretty.
Rayman Origins slapped on XBLA, PSN this Christmas, other platforms possible
Rayman and Globox will be slapping everything in sight as soon as this holiday season. The "about" page for Rayman Origins, the new 2D Rayman revival, reveals that the first episode is scheduled for a Christmas release, with "the rest" to follow in 2011. Ubisoft specified releases on "HD Consoles" for the platformer, with Wii, PC, iPad, and 3DS in consideration as well. The page also reveals that the Ubiart framework used by Origins' five-person team to create the game will be released open-source next year, allowing users to design levels and characters. Not only is Ubisoft making a convincingly indie-style game, it's going to release tools to let you make indie games.%Gallery-96983%
Rayman Origins begins episodic journey 'this year'
We told you it was beautiful -- but in case you didn't believe us, you can watch a trailer after the break. Ubisoft's Rayman Origins is a gorgeous game, and uses the new Ubiart framework to deliver "full HD" 1080p visuals. According to the team's official blog, Origins will be delivered as episodes "because big games take a long time to make" and "episodes also let us imagine a longer and more developed saga than with a more 'classical' format." Although specifics weren't mentioned, it's easy to imagine that Origins will end up on services like PSN and XBLA as a downloadable game. The team appears to be aiming for a release "this year," which has our digital wallets quivering in anticipation.
