Nobody saw this coming. After years of silence, cameos in spin-offs, and being practically forgotten on the shelf, Rayman, the beloved limbless hero who took over living rooms in the mid-90s, is officially making his comeback. And this time, it’s not just a rumor.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed in a recent interview with Variety that the newly released Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition is “the first step in the brand’s comeback.” That’s a direct quote from the big boss himself, and those words carry serious weight for a franchise that’s been in a deep, deep sleep for way too long.
A legend that never should have been forgotten
Rayman first appeared in 1995 as one of Ubisoft’s earliest flagship titles, and it quickly became one of the most iconic platformers of its era. Guillemot himself called Rayman “a landmark franchise” that “played a key role in Ubisoft’s early evolution,” which says a lot about how important this character is to the company’s DNA.
The last proper Rayman game was 2013’s Rayman Legends, a 2D platformer that earned an impressive 92 on Metacritic. Since then? Radio silence.
The closest fans got was a cameo in the Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope DLC. Over a decade without a real entry in the series, that’s a long coma for any franchise.
What’s inside the anniversary edition, and what comes next
Released on February 13, the Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition includes five different versions of the original Rayman game across PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Atari Jaguar, and MS-DOS. It was developed by Digital Eclipse and also surfaced during a recent PlayStation State of Play, which gave it some serious visibility.
Now, the collection isn’t perfect, some early impressions have flagged bugs and a “reimagined” soundtrack that fans say is inferior to the original PS version, though Ubisoft is apparently looking into letting players switch between old and new music. Fair enough, that’s a fixable problem.
What really matters is what Guillemot hinted at for the future. He stated that Ubisoft is “always exploring how our iconic franchises can evolve and reinvent themselves for all generations of players,” adding: “We can’t share details today, but we’re looking forward to talking more about Rayman soon.”
Ubisoft has officially confirmed that teams at both Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan are currently working together on the future of Rayman, with insider reports also suggesting a remake could be in the pipeline. Whether that means a brand new platformer, a full remake, or something else entirely, nobody outside Ubisoft knows for sure. But the pieces are clearly moving.
After years of waiting, Rayman fans finally have something real to hold onto. The anniversary edition may just be the warm-up act, and if Ubisoft delivers on its promise, the main event could be something worth the wait.
What do you think, is Rayman’s comeback long overdue, or are you waiting to see actual gameplay before getting excited? Drop your take in the comments, we want to hear from you!