'We want to restart the franchise' — Rayman Legends Retold dev on future of the beloved series

Rayman Legends Retold looks to bring the platforming classic into the modern age, with a smattering of new levels, fully revamped visuals, and expanded cinematics featuring full voice acting for the very first time.

Released back in 2013 to critical acclaim and still beloved by fans, it's certainly an unusual choice for a remake.

Where most developers opt to return to titles with obvious issues, or ones that are no longer readily accessible ( Rayman Legends is fully playable on PS5 , Xbox Series , and Switch 2 via backward compatibility), it's hard to think of many ways this platformer could be improved.

As it turns out, the decision was more about the future of the Rayman franchise than looking back at the past.

"The plan was that we want to restart the franchise," explains brand producer Loïc Gounon after a recent hands-on event.

"Without an engine, you don't make a game.

Without a team, you don't make a game.

So the initial point has been: we need to rebuild the team, and we need to adopt a new engine.

As we were starting to think about that, we also considered a brand new game, but we've also been humble about what we could achieve." In the gaming industry, remakes are often used to help new teams become acquainted with an existing intellectual property and build the skills needed to tackle development of future entries.

Just look at Metroid: Samus Returns , the 3DS Metroid 2 remake that led to series newcomer MercurySteam being given the reins for the Nintendo Switch installment Metroid Dread (and again, with the upcoming Metroid Ravenous for Switch 2).

Gounon adds that while the team behind Retold does still have some of the original Legends devs, they felt that "the balance between remaking a beloved game while bringing innovation to it was the best starting point" for everyone.

New coat of paint (Image credit: Ubisoft) One of the starkest differences between the original Legends and Retold is the shift from a hand-painted 2D look to a fully 3D art style – albeit one that largely maintains the side-on perspective.

It's a move that Gounon suggests shows where the franchise is headed overall.

" Rayman started on PlayStation with a 2D game at a time when most games were 3D.