Ubisoft announces Rayman Origins

LOS ANGELES--Today at Ubisoft's press briefing, the publisher announced the next title in the 15-year-old Rayman series and revealed that it's going to change some things about the established franchise.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot took the stage this afternoon and revealed, via teaser trailer, Rayman Origins. The two-minute video reveal is narrated by a soft-spoken woman telling an origin story. The video shows a creature being born, later described as a "man," then corrected as a "vegetable," then finally categorized as a "thingamajig."

Laden with series-familiar mischievous humor, the trailer (embedded below) also introduces a new element: a sidekick. This companion is labeled Rayman's "double," then his "blood-brother," and finally his nondescript "it." The trailer then continues its comedic route and shows Rayman and his buddy slapping a rock giant's eyeballs and whimsically parading through the game's colorful worlds.

Created by Ubisoft's Ubi Art Framework, Origins will be released as episodic content. According to a post on the Framework Web site, the decision to release the game in chapters was made because "big games take a long time to make, which in turns makes their price high." Further, the company stated "with episodes, the price must be proportional to the size of the game" and that "episodes also let us imagine a longer and more developed saga than with a more 'classical' format."

The Rayman franchise, created by Michael Ancel, was born on the PlayStation in 1995 and has since spawned numerous sequels, including the zany Rayman Rabid Rabbits offshoot series.