No doubt, Ubisoft is still reeling from the intense backlash that was the result of their decision to postpone the much anticipated release of Rayman Legends of the Wii U, despite being practically finished and therefore just a few short weeks away.
Even worse was the reason: it's no longer a console exclusive, so the Wii U version is behind held back, as to coincide with the release of the recently revealed PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.
In addition to all the disdain from the just the fans also, you also had a person who worked on the game, and even the creator of Rayman himself showed fans of the game some solidarity. As a result, Ubisoft announced that Wii U owners would have access to a second demo, which hardly seems like a halfway decent conciliatory prize.
Well, as it turns out, the makers of the game feel the same way. Which is why it was just announced that the full online challenge mode is being released ahead of schedule, and for free, via the Nintendo eShop this coming April:
In the video above, courtesy of GoNintendo, senior game manager Michael Micholoic and the creator director (plus aforementioned father of Rayma) Michel Ancel note that this is the very first time Rayman has appeared in an online environment.
There will be five different types of game modes, each with its own style of gameplay, including one that is designed specifically for the Wii U, given that it takes advantage of the GamePad’s touchscreen.
New challenges will be added weekly, as well as daily. Furthermore, Ancel and his team are taking advantage of the delay to add even more content.
The delay is definitely most unfortunate, and Rayman Legends might actually flounder when going head to head with the big end of the year releases. But at least we’re getting a bigger and better game out of the deal.
