Rayman Legends is officially no longer either a Wii U launch window title or exclusive to Nintendo’s new HD console. Ubisoft has confirmed that the game has been delayed from its Q1 launch window (which was actually a delay from its original release date) and will now arrive sometime in “early September 2013” for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U.
EMEA Chief Marketing & Sales Officer Geoffroy Sardin broke (announced) the disappointing (exciting) news to Wii U (Xbox 360 and PS3) owners in a press release today, saying:
“We heard from many Xbox & Playstation owners and Rayman fans who told us they really wanted to play Rayman Legends on their current system. We decided to give the fans what they wanted while at the same time broadening the audience exposed to this innovative and memorable game.”
All three versions of Rayman Legends are being developed by Ubisoft Montpellier — which explains why the game has been delayed multiple times. From what we have played of the Wii U demo the platformer makes significant use of the GamePad’s touch screen and Wii Remotes for multiplayer. It is unclear if those features will be cut for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version, or if Ubisoft is developing a solution for Microsoft and Sony’s consoles.
It is also worth pointing out that Rayman Legends is the second game to recently make the jump from being a Wii U exclusive to multiplatform status. Tecmo Koei confirmed earlier this week that they are porting Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge to both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. While neither Tecmo Koei or Ubisoft have specifically stated that the Wii U’s slow sales trajectory is to blame for the decision to port their former-exclusives, any other excuse would be a hard pill to swallow.
We will keep an eye out for any additional Rayman Legends updates, and let you know as soon as anything turns up.
Full press release below:
UBISOFT®’S RAYMAN LEGENDS
NOW COMING TO XBOX 360® AND PLAYSTATION 3®
London, UK – February 7th, 2013 – Today, Ubisoft announced that its forthcoming title Rayman Legends, already announced for the Wii UTM system from Nintendo, will also be released on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. All versions will now hit shelves in early September 2013.
The Microsoft Xbox 360® and Sony PlayStation® 3 versions of Rayman Legends are being developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, the same team behind the Nintendo Wii UTM game. Rayman Legends has been praised for its stunning visuals and innovative gameplay by media around the world and labeled as one of the most anticipated platformers of 2013.
“We heard from many Xbox & Playstation owners and Rayman fans who told us they really wanted to play Rayman Legends on their current system”, says Geoffroy Sardin, EMEA Chief Marketing & Sales Officer. “We decided to give the fans what they wanted while at the same time broadening the audience exposed to this innovative and memorable game.”
Rayman Legends retains the fantasy appeal of its predecessor while adding a multitude of clever and entertaining gaming modes, new characters, new environments and a new soundtrack. The award-winning team of artists, designers and composers from Origins has also returned with an advanced UbiArt engine to include multi-dimension gameplay elements, an improved lighting system and updated game rendering that elevate Rayman’s graphics to the next level.
For more information on Rayman Legends, please visit:
www.raymanlegends.com