Michel Ancel may step away from Rayman

Rayman creator Michel Ancel may move away from the franchise to focus on other projects, telling VideoGamer.com that he’s never said he “want(s) to work on Rayman forever” and that he’s put the series in a position where it could continue on without him.

“I’ve made the Rayman world so that we do things that the fans would make us want to do,” Ancel told us during a Rayman Legends preview event last week. “We are led by the fans and we try to have a world where it’s not about realism. If it’s a funny idea, let’s do it. I don’t say I want to work on Rayman forever, but now it’s on a good way to continue by itself.”

Ancel has worked solely on the Rayman franchise since 2006, having developed Beyond Good & Evil and Peter Jackson’s King Kong in the years prior. His next title, Rayman Legends, is due to release on August 30.

Ancel’s comments suggest that he may be preparing to leave Rayman in the hands of someone else as he moves on to Beyond Good & Evil 2 – a title he suggests could finally be developed with next-gen hardware on the horizon.

“It’s fun to move from a more realistic and constrained world to [Rayman’s] kind of world,” Ancel continued. “Both are interesting. Working within the constraints [is] also very interesting because it’s creating something new. So I like the idea of moving from different types of games.”

Rayman Legends launches on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PlayStation Vita on August 30.