Ubisoft announces Rayman's return

French publisher Ubisoft has announced the development of a new game in its Rayman series, a franchise which has shifted sixteen million units worldwide over the past ten years.

Currently in development at Ubisoft's Montpellier studio, the fourth instalment in the popular franchise is being led by Michel Ancel, who created the original game all those years ago and has since worked on the critically acclaimed Beyond Good and Evil and the significantly more commercially successful title, Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie.

Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemot, commented: "Rayman is one of the brands that encapsulate Ubisoft's ability to create characters and universes that appeal to all kinds of players. We are expecting this new Rayman video game to sweep players off their feet."

The game has yet to be given an official title, but is expected to be released in time for the 2006 Christmas holiday period and will be appearing on "both current and next-generation platforms", although no specific console has been mentioned to date.