History Creator / MichelAncel

A notable change, though, was the development of ''[[VideoGame/RavingRabbids Rayman: Raving Rabbids]]''. The game at first was supposed to be a free-roaming platformer titled ''Rayman 4'', as seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgXeubHm6iA this early trailer.]] After the trailer was released to the public, Ancel was notably absent from the project, and by the time the game was actually released as the bundle of [[MiniGame Mini Games]] known as ''Rayman Raving Rabbids'', the only thing he was credited for was character design. Rayman wound up being sidelined by Ubisoft in favor of the Raving Rabbids, until Ancel came back to helm ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' in 2011, to great acclaim.

When looking at the ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series as a whole, it's interesting to note that the adaptations in the series seem to have a fluctuation in overall reception from game to game — the more positive ones generally being the titles that Ancel himself worked on. ''VideoGame/Rayman1'' has generally been very well-received as a solid, [[NintendoHard challenging]] platformer, and many fans consider ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'' to be the best game in the entire series. He had only an advisory role in ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc'', which, while not considered a bad game the slightest, is something of a [[invoked]]ContestedSequel mostly because it doesn't have the same charm as the Ancel-helmed games. He also developed the ([[invoked]][[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames well received]]) licensed video game based on Creator/PeterJackson's ''Film/{{King Kong|2005}}''.

A notable change, though, was the development of ''[[VideoGame/RavingRabbids Rayman: Raving Rabbids]]''. The game at first was supposed to be a free-roaming platformer titled ''Rayman 4'', as seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgXeubHm6iA this early trailer.]] After the trailer was released to the public, Michel Ancel was notably absent from the project, and by the time the game was actually released as the bundle of [[MiniGame Mini Games]] known as ''Rayman Raving Rabbids'', the only thing he was credited for was character design. Rayman wound up being sidelined by the company in favor of the Raving Rabbids, until Ancel came back to helm ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' in 2011, to great acclaim.

When looking at the ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series as a whole, it's interesting to note that the adaptations in the series seem to have a fluctuation in overall reception from game to game — the more positive ones generally being the titles that Ancel himself worked on. ''VideoGame/Rayman1'' has generally been very well-received as a solid, [[NintendoHard challenging]] platformer, and many fans consider ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'' to be the best game in the entire series. He had only an advisory role in ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc''. He also developed the ([[invoked]][[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames well received]]) licensed video game based on Creator/PeterJackson's ''Film/{{King Kong|2005}}''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Wild}}'' (TBA)

Ancel was last working on an [[WideOpenSandbox open world]] project called ''VideoGame/{{Wild}}'', and on ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil2''. In 2020, he announced that he was [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CFRbPpnqCxu/ leaving the video game industry]] to pursue work at a wildlife sanctuary, though he ensured fans that development on those two games will progress smoothly without him at the helm.

Most important, though, is perhaps the development of ''[[VideoGame/RavingRabbids Rayman: Raving Rabbids]]''. The game at first was supposed to be a free-roaming platformer titled ''Rayman 4'', as seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgXeubHm6iA this early trailer.]] After the trailer was released to the public, Michel Ancel was notably absent from the project, and by the time the game was actually released as the bundle of [[MiniGame Mini Games]] known as ''Rayman Raving Rabbids'', the only thing he was credited for was character design. Rayman wound up being sidelined by the company in favor of the Raving Rabbids, until Ancel came back to helm ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' in 2011, to great acclaim.

Whatever it is he did to make his games so great, he did it ''really well'', as all of the games he's credited with designing have been greatly received by critics and fans alike. Heck, he was even requested ''specifically'' by Creator/PeterJackson to work on a video game adaptation of ''Film/{{King Kong|2005}}'' because [[JustForFun/OneOfUs Jackson was a fan of]] ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil''. As such, it's not much of a surprise that Michel Ancel gets a lot of CreatorWorship from fans.

When looking at the ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series as a whole, it's interesting to note that the adaptations in the series seem to have a fluctuation in overall reception from game to game — the more positive ones generally being the titles that Ancel himself worked on. ''VideoGame/Rayman1'' has generally been very well-received as a solid, [[NintendoHard challenging]] platformer, and many fans consider ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'' to be the best game in the entire series. He had only an advisory role in ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc''.

Most important, though, is perhaps the development of ''[[VideoGame/RavingRabbids Rayman: Raving Rabbids]]''. The game at first was supposed to be a free-roaming platformer titled ''Rayman 4'', as seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgXeubHm6iA this early trailer.]] After the trailer was released to the public, Michel Ancel was notably absent from the project, and by the time the game was actually released as the bundle of [[MiniGame Mini Games]] known as ''Rayman Raving Rabbids'', the only thing he was credited for was character design. Rayman wound up being sidelined by the company in favor of the Raving Rabbids, until Ancel came back to helm ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' in 2011.

Most important, though, is perhaps the development of ''[[VideoGame/RavingRabbids Rayman: Raving Rabbids]]''. The game at first was supposed to be a free-roaming platformer titled ''Rayman 4'', as seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgXeubHm6iA this early trailer.]] After the trailer was released to the public, Michel Ancel was notably absent from the project, and by the time the game was actually released as the bundle of [[MiniGame Mini Games]] known as ''Rayman Raving Rabbids'', the only thing he was credited for was character design.

When looking at the ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series as a whole, it's interesting to note that the adaptations in the series seem to have a fluctuation in overall reception from game to game — the more positive ones generally being the titles that Ancel himself worked on. ''VideoGame/Rayman1'' has generally been very well-received as a solid, [[NintendoHard challenging]] platformer, and many fans consider ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'' to be the best game in the entire series. He had only an advisory role in ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc'', which although not a bad game lacked some of the charm present in the titles he personally directed.

** ''[[VideoGame/Rayman2 Rayman 2: The Great Escape]]'' (1999)

When looking at the ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series as a whole, it's interesting to note that the adaptations in the series seem to have a fluctuation in overall reception from game to game — the more positive ones generally being the titles that Ancel himself worked on. ''VideoGame/{{Rayman|1995}}'' has generally been very well-received as a solid, [[NintendoHard challenging]] platformer, and many fans consider ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'' to be the best game in the entire series. He had only an advisory role in ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc'', which although not a bad game lacked some of the charm present in the titles he personally directed.

** ''VideoGame/{{Rayman|1995}}'' (1995)

Ancel was last working on an [[WideOpenSandbox open world]] project called ''VideoGame/{{Wild}}'', and on ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil2''. [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CFRbPpnqCxu/ In 2020, he retired from the video game industry to work with wildlife]] after ensuring that development of said two games will progress smoothly without him at the helm.

Ancel was last working on an [[WideOpenSandbox open world]] project called ''VideoGame/{{Wild}}'', and on ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil2''. [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CFRbPpnqCxu/ In 2020, he announced his retirement from the video game industry to work with widlife]] after ensuring that development of said two games will progress smoothly without him at the helm.