Rayman not Wii-exclusive, what's Ubisoft up to?

by Ross Miller { Aug 31st 2006 at 4:55PM }

Ubisoft clarified today that Rayman Raving Rabbids "is not a Wii exclusive," despite it being the only platform currently discussed. According to Pro-G, the publisher confirmed that the game is "planned for old and next-gen platforms for release in 2006."

Does this, alongside the confusing non-exclusivity of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, signify the beginning of a new trend in Ubisoft's publicity? We aren't sure how talking up one version of a multiplatform game benefits Ubisoft, so who is pushing for these "talk exclusives?" The cynic in us wonders if Sony or Nintendo is paying them to imply exclusivity.

Rayman, with Raving Rabbids in tow, will be hitting most current- and next-gen consoles by the end of the year. Assassin's Creed is now confirmed for both PC and PS3; given the similarities in architecture between Windows and Xbox 360, a version for Microsoft's console in more than likely to come out, too.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Gabriel @ Aug 31st 2006 5:02PM

I have to ask again...
"planned for old and next-gen platforms for release in 2006."
Assuming that old-gen is PS2, XB, and NGC
And next-gen is PS3, X360 and Wii

Qhere the hell are the current generation consoles?

whalemenace @ Aug 31st 2006 5:05PM

Lost in the phantom zone Gabriel.

Geoff @ Aug 31st 2006 5:11PM

Talk exclusivity seems like the best kind of exclusivity for a publisher. Get money from one manufacturer to just talk about that manufacturer's version before launch. Then release the game to all the major systems and have the broadest market possible. It allows the publisher to have their cake and eat it too.

tactics @ Aug 31st 2006 5:16PM

makes sense. i'm curious how raving rabbids will play on any system other than wii, though, because it seems like the minigames in RR were specially-tailored for the freehand controller. should be interesting to see how "fun" the game is, if at all, and especially how fun each version is.

-"superfan" tactics.

.ed @ Aug 31st 2006 5:19PM

I did read a few weeks ago that it is Wii exclusive for at least a 6 month cycle and that the Wii aspects would be entirely exclusive... these details were on UbiSoft's website briefly.

Anonononomous @ Aug 31st 2006 5:20PM

I think I read in Gamespot that RRR will be a platform game and that the Wii version will be the only one with the minigames added.

Sentinel @ Aug 31st 2006 5:23PM

I think Ubisoft is only working on the Wii version atm. It would make sense that they're only talking about the Wii version if they're not even working on the other versions yet.

It thought this had been confirmed already so i don't really see what the confusion is about?
They're hyping the Wii version atm and after that they'll start the hype on the other versions. :)

What i am wondering about is what the other versions are going to look like. This version was designed for the Wii from the ground up, i doubt those minigames are going to be fun on a regular controller.
But if they do a good job of creating 2 (or more?) completely different version, i might have to buy the game twice. :)

Smithra @ Aug 31st 2006 5:42PM

Gabriel (#1),
The Phantom was to be the only current gen system, but then it got canceled.

mykie @ Aug 31st 2006 5:43PM

I just hope that all the amazing screenshots we've been seeing for Raving Rabbids have actually been Wii screenshots and trumped-up dev shots.

or worse...PS3 shots!

Todd @ Aug 31st 2006 5:44PM

I think that this is a sign of things to come in 3rd party support for the Wii. However this definitely is not a bad thing. From E3 interest alone, publishers are betting that the next console race will be a lot closer than the last one. The Wii has an advantage in being the cheapest to develop for. Ubisoft has told in the past that Raving Rabbids was made for Wii. In other words there will be more games made for the Wii (since it's so cheap) and ported to the PS3 and 360, with maybe some upgrades or special content. Sure there will be games developed for the 360 or the PS3 that couldn't be ported to the Wii (because of the difference in power), but these will cost a lot more to make and will rely on 1 or 2 consoles to try to make a profit on instead of all 3. Publishers will be hedging their bets on the publishing costs for graphically stunning PS3 and 360 games by making more games for the Wii. Those games could remain exclusive if it sells well, or could be ported to all 3 to make some extra money if they don't. Actually depending on the games requirements they could be potentially be ported to all 6 consoles for the first year or so.

Sentinel @ Aug 31st 2006 6:09PM

@10

I doubt that publishers are going to port their Wii games to PS3 & 360.
1. Graphicwise, those game aren't going to look as good as the other PS3/360 games. They won't like that.
2. Wii gameplay won't always translate to a regular controller properly. Raving Rabbids & Red Steel look awesome in my eyes and i'll be buying them on launch day (together with Zelda & Metroid of course), but take away the Wii-mote and suddenly i'm not that interested anymore.

So i doubt ports would be successfull (same thing with PS3/360 games to Wii ports). This is why i doubt the Wii will have a lot of ports.
The good thing is that i think most Wii games will actually try to use the Wii-mote properly, resulting in (hopefully) original games.
The bad thing might be a lack of 3rd party support.

Right now, 3rd party support seems to be awesome. If games like Red steel, raving rabbids, final fantasy, etc. sell well, then 3rd party support will probably stay great. If not, i'll just play my Nintendo games on my Wii and the rest on my PS3/360.

There's no way Nintendo will die if the Wii doesn't do well (the DS alone is bringing in huge amounts of money and they don't lose money on making Wii's), but i really hope Nintendo does well. It would be a nice signal to the industry that we want some originality!

carlos @ Aug 31st 2006 6:16PM

hey is ubi pulling an EA

JimmyHACK @ Aug 31st 2006 6:25PM

think everyones missing the point.....

Rayman series has been crap for years :)

jakob @ Aug 31st 2006 6:29PM

well i cant imagine rayman being much fun on anything else besides the wii. it would just be the same old boring rayman that nobody buys.

Jed Merrill @ Aug 31st 2006 6:32PM

Interesting concept, but I don't think this will be a trend for Wii specifically... They did mention Assassin's Creed for PS3 being the same way. I expect it to come to 360 and Wii eventually, if not on day one.

peanutter @ Aug 31st 2006 6:47PM

This was confirmed at E3, the Wii gets RRR for 6 months before it's ports. The lead designer said it was designed originally as a traditional platformer for all of the systems but they redesigned the entire game once they got a hold of the wii controller due to being inspired. Hence it went from being a game for all systems to a wii-game. Once they finish it, they will port really crappily controlled versions of the same game to the 360 and ps3. I don't recall anythign about last gen but I do recall them saying that the 360 port would follow in 2007.

epobirs @ Aug 31st 2006 9:53PM

Odd, I don't recall this ever being promoted as a Wii exclusive. It was just interesting in that the developer was following Nintendo's desire for Wii versions of a franchise to be highly distinct from other versions. If done well enough, the owner of both a PS3/360 and a Wii might buy both versions. Smart publishers might create incentive programs to encourage this, which would tie in well with handheld versions as well.