In 2014, Sony showed off the first look at Wild, an ambitious open-world PlayStation-exclusive game from the creator of Rayman, Michel Ancel. Wild remained in development until it was canceled in 2021, almost a year after Ancel retired from the video game industry. Now, former Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida has shared his thoughts about why Wild was canceled.
“There [were] lots of great ideas [that] didn’t really materialize into the actual game structure,” explained Yoshida during an interview with MinnMax. “It was very open kind of thinking… one of the earliest [pitches] was the map size of the game was the size of Europe.”
As envisioned by Ancel, Wild would have taken place during prehistoric times as players stepped into a the role of a human whose shaman-like powers gave them the ability to influence or control animals. Smaller animals could be used to spy on other tribes, while larger animals could actually be possessed by the player to guide them to accomplish a specific goal or objective. Animals could also support the player in battles against rival tribes.
Following Ancel’s retirement, Ubisoft opened an investigation into whether he created a hostile work environment for his employees at the company. Ancel denied the allegations and it doesn’t appear that any action was taken against him. Additionally, there is a new Rayman game in development, and Ubisoft rehired Ancel to serve as a consultant on the project. The next Rayman title was announced late in 2024, and it doesn’t currently have a release date from Ubisoft.
