In 2005, the first Rayman game to not be developed by Ubisoft entered development, with the project lasting a grand total of four months. It was worked on by Phoenix Studio, a development studio that closed way back in 2009, but it was ultimately scrapped with very little meaningful work having been done.
Now, according to one user on Twitter and an archived 4Chan post, it seems that the entire source code, the editor, and assets for the original Rayman 4 project have leaked online. For years, dribs and drabs have slipped out into the ether, such as the odd bit of concept art, 3D rendering, or animation, but this is effectively the entire project sitting out there for anybody to now consume.
Not Gone and Not Forgotten
Rayman 4 was cancelled after just a few months in development but it ultimately mutated into Rayman Raving Rabbids. There was a brief trailer released for Rayman 4, and it was subsequently revealed that much of the content produced for Rayman 4 was re-used by Ubisoft in Rayman Raving Rabbids.
In the leak on Twitter, published by user @RibShark, several shots and clips were published, showing unfinished missions and environments, a source code editor, and some of the character models for what would have become Rayman 4.
There’s a shot that shows Rayman riding on a nasty-looking spider, and another image that reveals a bizarre level that would have been titled ‘Sphincter Cell’ – we’ll leave your imagination to figure that one out.
As the code propagates online, users are downloading its contents and assembling it to some extent, exploring cutscenes, and test levels, and uncovering as much as they possibly can about this cancelled project. While it would be quite illegal for someone to rebuild the game using the source code, the game could be reverse-engineered in such a way that what’s there could be turned into something more accessible.
Ultimately, fans of the Rayman franchise are now left wondering what might have been, exploring remnants of a game that consisted of open levels, a mount system, advanced movement mechanics (for the time), and edgy themes that seemed ahead of their time.
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of the claim that Arkane’s Redfall has been delayed again.
