Ubisoft's Michel Ancel has told Videogamer that the decision to delay Rayman Legends was "brutal" but added that protests made by him and other developers at Ubisoft Montpellier were the result of a "misunderstanding."
"As artists, we don't have control over everything," Ancel commented. "Of course, as creators we are a bit selfish. When we heard about the delay we were like, 'No! We want our game to be released, to let people play the game'."
Ancel seems to protest against the delay unfurling a banner which read: 'Release Raymen. Support Ubisoft Montpellier' with some of the development team but he insists that this was "a misunderstanding."
"When we heard about [the delay] it was very brutal," he continued. "Just happened suddenly, but after talking more and more we better understood the reasons behind the decision."
He says the delay was the result of an "economic situation" – most likely referring to the Wii U's poor sales. When the game was announced it was intended an exclusive for Nintendo's platform but Ancel hints that the game may have been cancelled had they refused to port the title to other platforms.
"The mix between the boss – the one who [makes] decisions – and us, the connect must be there. They could have decided not to put more money in the game, because it costs a lot to have a full team for another six months. But I think they believe in the franchise and somehow they believe in what we are doing."
Rayman Legends' lead game designer Emile Morel added "I think in the end, I wouldn't say I'm happy about the delay but I feel better now because I know that the game is going to touch more people, more people are going to be able to play it.
"I think [Ubisoft's decision to port] the game was because they believed in the game, actually. Because they knew it was a great game, so it was giving us another chance."
Rayman Legends is set for release on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PS Vita on September 3rd.
