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# Scorned fans take over Miiverse in protesting Ubisoft’s delay of Rayman Legends
- URL: https://www.killscreen.com/scorned-fans-take-over-miiverse-protesting-ubisofts-delay-rayman-legends/
- Published: 2013-02-20T15:30:19.000Z
- Updated: 2015-11-17T15:57:22.000Z
- Description: Rayman: Origins was a monumental return to relevance for Ubisoft’s B-list mascot platformer born in the 90s. I loved the colorful, creative worlds and challenging gameplay when I reviewed it last year, though underwhelming sales made a follow-up unlikely. When news of a sequel leaked out with a prom
- Author: Jon Irwin
- Tags: News, First Amendment, Miiverse, Rayman: Legends, Ubisoft, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-26 09:39

*Rayman: Origins* was a monumental return to relevance for Ubisoft’s B-list mascot platformer born in the 90s. I loved the colorful, creative worlds and challenging gameplay when I [reviewed](http://killscreendaily.com/articles/reviews/review-rayman-origins/?ref=killscreen.com) it last year, though underwhelming sales made a follow-up unlikely. When news of a sequel leaked out with a promotional [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player%5Fembedded&v=zNca7UZRhGs&ref=killscreen.com) of the game running on early Wii U development kits, fans geared up for another round of slap-dancing and limbless tomfoolery. With Nintendo’s HD system low on post-launch software, Rayman was a bright light, ready to be shipped in late February.

Then Ubisoft announced two things: *Legends* would be ported to both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, to be released in the fall. And the Wii U game, all but wrapped in plastic, would be delayed seven months to release at the same time.

Moments later, fans eagerly awaiting the game took to Miiverse, the Wii U social community of typed and hand-drawn messages, and made their displeasure known. Loudly.

– – –

Each game and app released for Wii U has a corresponding Miiverse community, where fans can post questions, draw pictures, or share boastful screenshots. The sheer output of remarkable art, all done with a stylus on the GamePad’s 6.2 inch screen, has been a consistent highlight for early adopters. Developers can even drop in and engage with the community directly. Such access comes with a caveat: When things go south, there exists a focused arena for public venting.

Those with an online connection will not be surprised to hear this. *Agitated fans turning against the creators of a beloved property with misguided rage*? Outlandish, I know. But the rumors are true. What’s notable about this latest surge of ill will is how a forum designed for the express purpose of sharing information and excitement over a released game can swiftly turn into something completely different: a depository for popular dissent.

Whether the blowback will bear fruit is up in the air. Many are calling for the Wii U game to be released first–developers who worked on the game have said it’s basically finished, with Rayman creator Michel Ancel even [getting in on the protest](http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-12-michel-ancel-and-rayman-dev-team-appear-in-protest-at-ubisofts-decision-to-delay-rayman-legends?ref=killscreen.com)–but the reality is much stickier. Microsoft won’t allow games published first on [competing services](http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-24-why-microsoft-wont-publish-psn-firsts?ref=killscreen.com) such as PlayStation Network to be released on [ ](http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-24-why-microsoft-wont-publish-psn-firsts?ref=killscreen.com) XBox Live Arcade unless there’s additional content. With the 360’s install base close to [76 million](http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-02-12-xbox-install-base-hits-76-million?ref=killscreen.com), having a seven year head start of the Wii U, it makes zero financial sense to release *Rayman: Legends* exclusively to a population 1/20th that size, even if more of them feverishly await the game.

Publishers and developers used to toil on games in anonymity before releasing them onto a separate, expectant public. Now the veils have fallen away, the distance growing shorter between the seething masses and the previously-confined creators. Hideki Kamiya regularly interacts with fans via [Twitter](https://twitter.com/PG%5Fkamiya?ref=killscreen.com); Kickstarter-funded efforts like *Double Fine Adventure* open up the development process to fans through videos and Q+As.

Such access comes with a caveat: When things go south, there exists a focused arena for public venting

Such transparency can offer benefits to both sides: increased exposure on the one hand, with useful feedback on the other. But the *Rayman* Miiverse tirade exposes the negative potential for an increased level of access. A company opens themselves up to reputation-hurting criticism, and fans push for changes that will likely never occur, risking disappointment all over again.

Ubisoft’s Miiverse community for their Uplay app, a rewards system for players of Ubisoft games, is bearing the brunt of the criticism. One popular drawing by user Geonicus shows a car with license plate “GTAV” and a familiar looking go-kart running over a squashed Rayman scarred with tire-treads. Rockstar’s next *Grand Theft Auto* and Nintendo’s new *Mario Kart* are expected this fall, alongside a bevy of other juggernauts (plus two potential next-generation consoles). By waiting to release a relatively low-profile platformer into that gauntlet, Ubisoft risks their charming Rayman getting lost in the shuffle. A liklihood their fans are only too happy to flaunt.