Spotlight
VideoWatch: Our favourite local multiplayer games
Sofa so good.
VideoRayman Origins 3DS gameplay footage
Version for Nintendo's handheld finally launches next month.
VideoMaking of Rayman Origins video uncovered
Ancel! Guillemot! Multiplayer! An orchestra!
Video10 ways to beat Rayman Origins
Bosses! Treasure! Coins! Speed!
Key events
18th May 2012
14th May 2012
26th April 2012
Ubisoft domain Rayman Legends suggests possible sequel title
23rd April 2012
27th February 2012
23rd February 2012
21st February 2012
31st January 2012
26th January 2012
5th January 2012
10th December 2011
23rd November 2011
14th November 2011
11th November 2011
4th November 2011
3rd November 2011
20th October 2011
28th September 2011
16th August 2011
29th July 2011
30th June 2011
7th June 2011
2nd June 2011
15th June 2010
Rayman's lost SNES prototype unearthed
A mostly armless proof of concept.
Before Rayman helped define the 90s with his edgy lack of limbs and colourful French spirit, he was originally conceived by Michel Ancel as the star of a Super Nintendo adventure. Now the prototype for this canned platformer has been unearthed and released by Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap creative director Omar Cornut.
VideoWatch: Our favourite local multiplayer games
Sofa so good.
Playing games with other people online is really fun (have we mentioned we quite like Overwatch?) but sometimes you simply can't beat a bit of local multiplayer.
Rayman Origins free on PC next week
Orange you glad about that?
The excellent Rayman Oranges will be free to download for a month, starting next week.
Get Grow Home, Rayman Origins and Call of Juarez: Gunslinger for $1
New Ubisoft Humble Bundle also offers The Crew, Far Cry 3 and more.
The Humble Ubisoft Bundle Encore is Ubisoft's new pay-what-you-want offering and it's one of Humble's best yet.
Rayman Origins now back-compatible on Xbox One
Ubi pleased about that.
Enjoyable Ubisoft platformer Rayman Origins is now playable on Xbox One, thanks to the console's Xbox 360 backwards compatibility service.
Sony launches PlayStation Vita sale to celebrate console's first birthday
Up to 50% off games, with further discounts for Plus subs.
PlayStation Vita is nearing its first birthday, and to celebrate Sony has launched a decent sale on games.
The sale starts tomorrow, 6th February and runs for two weeks. There's up to 50 per cent off Vita games, with further discounts for PS Plus subscribers.
Highlights include PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for £15, Rayman Origins for £15 and Everybody's Golf for seven quid.
VideoRayman Origins 3DS gameplay footage
Version for Nintendo's handheld finally launches next month.
Kirby's Dream Land 2 3DS eShop release date
Get sucked in to Nintendo's latest downloadable offerings.
GameBoy platformer Kirby's Dream Land 2 will be released on the 3DS eShop this Thursday, Nintendo has announced.
The monochrome adventure sees Nintendo's pink puffball teaming up with new friends Rick the Hamster, Kine the Fish and Coo the Owl. The trio of critters amplify Kirby's powers in the fight against King Dedede. It's yours for £3.60.
3DS endless-runner Bird Mania 3D also launches. It looks a bit like Whale Trail, except you control a blue parrot. It costs £1.80.
Leaked Rayman Legends Wii U trailer shows graphics, touch-screen, NFC tech
UPDATE: Ubisoft confirms game, comments on leak.
UPDATE: Ubisoft has told Eurogamer that Rayman Legends is real, and is in development at its Montpellier studio by Michel Ancel.
But it insisted the leaked video does not represent the final game, or the final version of Nintendo's next console, the Wii U.
The statement in full:
Ubisoft domain Rayman Legends suggests possible sequel title
Rayman Origins to live on?
Ubisoft's unannounced Rayman Origins sequel could be called Rayman Legends, a set of recently registered domain names suggests.
Addresses for RaymanLegends.com and Rayman-Legends.com were registered by Ubisoft this week, Fusible reports.
Ubisoft has yet to formally confirm a Rayman Origins sequel, although a marketing survey unearthed last week offered a brief glimpse at the game.
Rayman Origins sequel in the works - report
New game mentioned in marketing survey.
A sequel to last year's rather lovely Rayman Origins platformer could soon be coming down the pipe, according to a purported Ubisoft marketing survey.
As picked up by Kotaku, the form, disseminated by marketing firm and regular Ubisoft collaborator Arkenford, apparently offered a brief clip from the apparent sequel.
"The sequel to Rayman Origins will feature brand new settings: legendary worlds filled with castles, vampires, ghosts, Greek gods or dragons," read the survey blurb.
Ubisoft ready to take advantage of Wii U digital strategy
Will "adapt" to disc-less Xbox, should it happen.
Ubisoft is ready to take advantage of Nintendo's Wii U digital strategy - and will use the lessons learned from the PS Vita to do so.
Ancel's acclaimed platformer held back until June.
The 3DS version of Michel Ancel's charming Rayman Origins 2D platformer has been delayed.
FeatureWhat would happen if GAME died?
An investigation into how it would affect you.
Does anything really matter until you're personally affected by it? It's easy enough to ignore financial reports and credit warnings and gloomy editorials - but try ignoring an empty shelf. Try ignoring GAME, the UK's largest specialist video game shop chain, being unable to to stock Ubisoft's PlayStation Vita games (until today), Wii role-playing game The Last Story and Tekken 3DS.
GAME stocking Ubisoft's Vita launch titles from tomorrow
No word on The Last Story or Tekken 3DS though.
GAME will stock Ubisoft's Vita launch titles from Tuesday, 28th February.
The high street specialist confirmed the introduction of the stock in a short statement issued this afternoon to VG247.
"To confirm, the Vita Ubisoft titles will be available in all of GAME's channels from tomorrow."
Gameplay signs off with £5 Gamestation.co.uk voucher
"It's been a pleasure!"
Soon to be closed online shop Gameplay is giving its customers £5 to spend at Gamestation.co.uk ahead of the merger of the two websites.
Emails are being sent to Gameplay customers now with voucher codes for use in Gamestation.co.uk (thanks duckmouth!).
The fine print reveals the vouchers are valid until 31st March, and a minimum spend of £10 applies.
GAME: "we can't stock absolutely everything"
Shop talks cancelled pre-orders, Tekken 3DS, Ubisoft's Vita titles and game prices.
Struggling retailer GAME has admitted it is unable to stock all new titles.
GAME won't stock Ubisoft Vita launch games
Lumines, Michael Jackson, Rayman: Origins, Asphalt Injection and Dungeon Hunter Alliance get the chop.
GAME has confirmed it will not stock Ubisoft's Vita launch games.
Lumines, Michael Jackson, Rayman Origins, Asphalt Injection and Dungeon Hunter Alliance will not be available to buy from GAME stores across the nation when Sony's PSP successor launches at midnight tonight.
"All customers affected by this decision have been made aware of the situation and we will continue to communicate any updates to customers through our Twitter and Facebook feeds," GAME said in a statement issued to VG247.
The Simpsons Arcade, Far Cry 2 headline PS Plus update
Plus, free Final Fantasy V, 50% off Rayman Origins.
PlayStation Plus subscribers can pick up the impending re-release of 1991 coin-op classic The Simpsons Arcade free of charge for a limited time this month.
Konami's cartoon tie-in is available at no charge from 1st February to the end of the month.
It's a bumper few weeks for PS Plus members, with Far Cry 2 and Final Fantasy V among the other freebies up for grabs. There's also substantial savings to be had on Rayman Origins, Sonic Adventure and House of the Dead 3.
Rayman Origins for PC announced
Out in March.
Rayman Origins launches on PC on 30th March, Ubisoft has announced.
It launches as a boxed product in shops and as a download. It's already available to pre-order from the Ubishop for £19.99.
Michel Ancel's lovely platform game launched on PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 in November last year. Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita versions are in the works.
UK Top 40: FIFA 12 highest-grossing sports video game ever
Scores fifth week at number one.
FIFA 12 has now made more money in the UK than any other sports video game ever.
Ubisoft confirms Vita launch line-up
Plus, dates for Rayman Origins 3DS and Future Soldier.
Rayman Origins, Lumines, Michael Jackson: The Experience, Asphalt and Dungeon Hunter Alliance will all be available from the Vita's 22nd February launch, publisher Ubisoft has announced.
A new release schedule sent out today includes one other Vita game - an undefined Assassin's Creed title marked for "calendar 2012".
Elsewhere on the publisher's revised slate, the 3DS version of Rayman Origins is down for 16th March, while PC and console versions of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier arrive some time the same month.
UK Top 40: Skyrim dethrones Modern Warfare 3
Sales soar 145 per cent after price cuts.
Bethesda behemoth The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has knocked Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 off of the UK all-format chart top spot.
Rayman Origins sells 50,000 in debut US month
While Sonic Generations misses the top 20.
The fate of two of the big name titles missing from yesterday's US November top 10 has been revealed.
NPD analyst Anita Frazier told Eurogamer that Michel Ancel's well-reviewed platformer Rayman Origins sold just over 50,000 copies during its first four weeks on sale.
She didn't reveal where it placed on the chart, though, for some context, Super Mario 3D Land managed 625,000 and didn't make the top 10.
VideoMaking of Rayman Origins video uncovered
Ancel! Guillemot! Multiplayer! An orchestra!
Ancel! Guillemot! Multiplayer! An orchestra!
UK Top 40: Rayman Origins, LOTR: War in the North disappoint
While Modern Warfare 3 wins third week top.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has won a third week atop of the UK all format charts, while several other major launches suffered.
EU PlayStation Store update 23rd November
Daytona! Robin DLC! Rayman Origins for £47.99!
Sega's revival of Dreamcast racer Daytona USA heads up this week's list of downloadable launches on the EU PlayStation Store.
Daytona boasts smoother graphics, a sharper soundtrack and an unwavering 60 frames-per-second, all of which helped Martin wave a 9/10-bearing chequered flag in Eurogamer's Daytona USA review of last month's XBLA version.
PlayStation Plus subscribers are rewarded with a 30 per cent off the price of Daytona and 20 per cent discount off 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which launches as a download this week for £19.99 for everyone else.
Out This Week - Rayman! LOTR! Kirby! Layton!
Eurogamer's guide to this week's releases, from Angry Birds to Zumba 2.
Five weeks until Christmas, and the majority of the season's release schedule has now been emptied upon us.
Video10 ways to beat Rayman Origins
Bosses! Treasure! Coins! Speed!
Bosses! Treasure! Coins! Speed!
Drawn to the past.
In 2004, Disney Studio Head Michael Eisner made a business call that had devastating creative implications. He announced that the labour-intensive 2D animated cartoon style that had defined the studio's output throughout the 20th Century was no longer financially prudent or culturally relevant. Rather, the company's creative future lay in 3D CGI, the Pixar aesthetic that was both cheaper to create and animate as well as being more current for young audiences.
There seemed, to Eisner, to be nothing to lose: he would incur fewer costs, audiences would experience increased happiness. So, in one fell swoop he fired all of the studio's 2D animators and sold off the equipment used to create so many animated classics, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to Aladdin.
It's a trend that's been echoed by the video game industry since the advent of 3D, with hand-drawn 2D art rarely seen outside of indie games and mobile titles today. The cost of creating and animating 2D assets is exponentially higher than doing the same with 3D models that can be given a virtual skeleton and then posed and manipulated with ease. Higher resolution screens have exacerbated the decline of the 2D form, as the amount of work needed to create pin-sharp 2D graphics has multiplied with each technological leap. Blockbuster gaming's embrace of 3D makes sense on paper, then. But it also comes with the implication that 3D art is the natural evolution of 2D art.
Rayman Origins sales will help Beyond Good & Evil 2
Success will Pey'j wages at Ancel studio.
The success of cel-shaded adventure Rayman Origins could help the long-awaited Beyond Good & Evil sequel see light of day.
Ubisoft designer Michel Ancel, creator of both franchises, will get "more leeway" should Origins perform well at retail, the company's sales exec Tony Key told Industry Gamers.
"Ultimately, Rayman is [Ancel's] original creation, and if all the people that love Beyond Good & Evil understand he is more than a one trick pony... and that if Rayman: Origins does well, it gives him more leeway for other opportunities because he has to build up his studio," Key said.
Rayman Origins demo release date announced
For PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.
Ubisoft will release a demo for Rayman Origins on Wednesday 9th November.
The demo goes live on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.
It contains three maps from the Jungle, Food and Ocean worlds. Collect nine Electoons and you'll unlock a new costume. A custom map to navigate through the worlds is also included.
VideoRayman: Origins trailer has 10 ways to die
Squashed! Eaten! Handbag slapped!
VideoLatest Rayman Origins footage lands
10 ways to travel in-game.
10 ways to travel in-game.
VideoMichel Ancel in Rayman Origins trailer
New footage of the limbless legend.
Rayman Origins: Collector's Ed spotted
Art book! Soundtrack! Game! Box!
The Rayman Origins Collector's Edition has turned up on Amazon, priced £54.99.
VideoRayman Origins gameplay footage
Gorgeous animated platforming action.
Rayman: Origins PS Vita screens
Cartoon biffing on the PSP successor.
Cartoon biffing on the PSP successor.
VideoRayman Origins cel-shaded cinematic
Animated gang awaken this November.
Animated gang awaken this November.
Ubisoft announces Vita line-up
Rayman, Lumines, Assassin's Creed, more.
Rayman Origins, Assassin's Creed and Lumines are among the titles Ubisoft is bringing to the PlayStation Vita, the publisher has announced.
Asphalt, Dungeon Hunter Alliance and Michael Jackson: The Experience are also "currently in development" for Sony's new handheld, according to its Gamescom announcement.
No word yet on exactly what form that Assassin's Creed game will take, but we'll update as soon as we find out more.
Ubisoft announces huge EG Expo line-up
Assassin's! Driver! Ghost Recon! Rayman!
This year's Eurogamer Expo will host a huge showing from developer Ubisoft, with some of the year's biggest titles such as Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Driver: San Francisco available to play on the show floor.
High-tech shooter Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and beautiful platformer Rayman Origins will also be on show.
For racing fans Ubisoft is bringing World Rally, while those who prefer a boogie can try Just Dance Kinect.
Hands free.
Rayman Origins doesn’t take an old school approach to game design merely because it’s a 2D sidescroller based around an aging Ubisoft mascot. It’s old school because it’s hard. Not Demon’s Souls hard, perhaps, but it would still rather send you to your doom than provide you with a glowing breadcrumb trail or one of those last-minute rewind getaways beloved of The Prince of Persia. You’ll die in Rayman Origins, and you’ll die quite a lot. You’ll get over all that, though, because the game is so precise, and because it’s so joyfully intricate.
Splinter Cell Trilogy HD release date
Rayman Origins nailed down, too.
The Splinter Cell Trilogy HD will be released exclusively for PS3 on 23rd September, Ubisoft has announced.
Rayman Origins will be released in November on PS3, Wii and Xbox 360.
Ubisoft's new schedule also provides a "calendar 2011" date for Wii and Kinect game The Black Eyed Peas Experience.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 "needs power"
Ancel discusses possible next-gen release.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 might be too ambitious for the current generation of consoles to handle, creator Michel Ancel has revealed.
VideoRayman Origins gameplay footage
The latest look at the limbless hero.
New screens, details for Rayman Origins
Gorgeous platformer now confirmed for Wii.
First plot details and a batch of new screens for Ubisoft's stupidly pretty Rayman Origins platformer have landed.
The game sees Michel Ancel's limbless hero dispatched by the Fairy Council to liberate the Glade of Dreams from the "nefurrious" Darktoons.
There's four player jump-in/jump-out co-op, with you choosing between Rayman, best buddy Globox and one of two wizards known as the Teensies.
Rayman Origins listed on Amazon
Retro Ubisoft platformer out this year?
Limbless Ubisoft mascot Rayman has had his latest outing listed by online retailer Amazon.
Rayman Origins now a full retail release
Ancel platformer due late 2011.
Ubisoft's retro-fabulous 2D platformer Rayman Origins is no longer a downloadable game, as originally announced at E3 2010, according to the latest issue of Game Informer.
Is Origins going portable?
An OFLC listing has just popped up for something called Rayman 3D.
Rayman Origins for 3DS and Wii?
Ubisoft thinking about it.
Rayman Origins, the upcoming downloadable 2D platformer starring everybody's favourite limbless adventurer, is being "considered" for release on the 3DS and Wii.
VideoThe art styles of Rayman Origins
The limbless one returns, for some very pretty adventures.
The limbless one returns, for some very pretty adventures.
Ubi shows Rayman Origins, Project Dust
The latter from Eric Chahi.
During its packed E3 conference overnight, Ubisoft revealed that old mascot Rayman is making a comeback.
VideoRayman Origins debut trailer
Michel Ancel takes us back to the start.
