This past week Ubisoft announced that they were delaying the February 26th release of Rayman Legends to September 2013, even though development on the Wii U game has basically been completed. The company later confirmed that the extra time was required to strip the game of its Wii U exclusive status and provide it with a multiplatform release on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U. Naturally, this news has not been well received within the Nintendo/Rayman fan community.
The obvious (and not to mention decent) way to make this situation right would be to go ahead launch the Wii U version as planned and then get to work on porting Rayman Legends to Microsoft and Sony’s consoles. Sadly, it doesn’t appear that this solution is in the cards — after all, that would ruin the planned multiplatform launch during the busy Holiday 2013 shopping season — but Ubisoft has figured out another way to smooth things over with Wii U owners… A new exclusive demo of Rayman Legends for the Wii U.
Ubisoft made the pathetic reconciliation offer to fans on their Facebook page, saying:
“Thanks for all your feedback regarding Rayman Legends in all of its forms. We have heard you and we will continue to listen. We understand your frustration and that you want to get your hands on the game.”
“We are working with the development team to provide you with a new, exclusive demo for the Wii U soon. Stay tuned for more.”
Considering that Wii U owners already have access to an exclusive demo of Rayman Legends (not to mention the fact that they were really looking forward to picking up the game in a couple of weeks), this peace offering has not gone over well.
While there is a wide range of entertaining comments on Ubisoft’s Facebook page, Benjamin Martinez’s reaction basically sums up the majority opinion: “Your demo in your a**. The consumers we are not idiot.”
Well said Benjamin. Well said.
We will have to wait and see how Ubisoft decides to handle this situation. Hopefully, they come to the senses, say sorry, and just release Rayman Legends on the Wii U as planned. We will keep an eye out for any additional developments and keep you updated.