Rayman Legends: The Design Process Within the UbiArt Framework

In this 2014 GDC talk, Ubisoft Montpellier's Chris McEntee describes the design team's approach to creating the distinctive worlds in Rayman Legends, and the strengths and weaknesses of UbiArt Framework.
In this 2014 GDC talk, Ubisoft Montpellier's Chris McEntee describes the design team's approach to creating the distinctive worlds in Rayman Legends, and the strengths and weaknesses of UbiArt Framework.
Register for GDC: ubm.io/2gk5KTU
Join the GDC mailing list: www.gdconf.com/subscribe
Follow GDC on Twitter: / official_gdc
GDC talks cover a range of developmental topics including game design, programming, audio, visual arts, business management, production, online games, and much more. We post a fresh GDC video every day. Subscribe to the channel to stay on top of regular updates, and check out GDC Vault for thousands of more in-depth talks from our archives.

[@gtodorov]

this is amazing. I wonder why isnt ubisoft putting out a lot more from this engine. its too good to just stay there

[@eskapados8718]

I think the main reason is the limited demand for "platformer" video games on the market right now. Sure a really, really well crafted platformer game works every now and then but imagine if they would bring one out every year like they did with some other third person assassin and first person far cry games.. --> The already (in comparison to the fps (far cry) and the third person "stealth"-game market) small target audience would have enough of it very soon. It's all about sale numbers and profit especially for publishers like Ubisoft, EA and their like. It's kinda sad tbh :( A Rayman Legends/Origins Level Editor would be awesome tho! :D I loved those two games !

[@jovialgames]

I know someone who worked with Ubisoft when the Ubi Framwork was still being used and he said it was a powerful tool but in the end it was too expensive to use properly.

[@videokaninen8995]

MORE RAYMAN, mabe 3d?

[@Zebrax-kq4gg]

Michel Ancel wanted it to be open source so people can make games with this tool, but the complexity of the project full of spaghetti code and the board who wanted the engine to be closed said otherwise. You got some games with Ubi Art that are not Rayman tho.

[@zainmushtaq4347]

22:45 poor guy, it was his first time and the slow laptop decides to shut down and takes 3 whole minutes to get back to where he was. Thankfully, the crowd were a good sport and cheered him on before he lost confidence (25:55) :)

[@mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm3153]

I felt bad for that dude, damn

[@veecel]

“UbiArt has been built to be shared. It won’t be like other games technologies, which are often just locked away,” he said, adding that the highly factionalised games industry is being held back by its lack of collaboration. I don’t believe that keeping the technology to yourself is interesting. I want someone to look at our game and be inspired to use the tools to be artistic themselves. It is more interesting to have a community and share our content." - Michel Ancel (July 2011)

[@puffythedestroyer8878]

and for 9 years ubisoft still keeps it under lock & key to itself, where it's rarely used unless the higher-up suits worry their assasin's creed money is gonna run out. great use of the team and their revolutionary tech Ubisoft!

[@SnevilGrey]

Lmao

[@noidea5597]

​@@puffythedestroyer8878Yeah absolutley! Ubisoft is a shitty greedy game company.

[@Zebrax-kq4gg]

Since he came from demomakers community he was serious about it, it was a way to force publicly Ubisoft to do it by saying it publicly, sadly for Ancel they are stubborn and want to keep a tech from the competition. He was also fighting for BGE2 before making Rayman Origins, and fight again to make Origins with the board... and after the success of the formula they gave him the possibility to work on BGE 2 again, sadly he left in 2020 and Emile Morel Died, the game is still in dev, but the dev is chaotic. THe problem is how works Ubisoft, even the CEO has less power today in some way and is more about making profit, the same guy who produce the chaotic project BGE 1 when he cared about making story and games... Yves Guillemot, now he's just a NPC.

[@carrottoponcrak]

This game was phenomenal, and we need either more Rayman like this, or better yet.....just give us a Rayman level creator

[@chrislin2663]

I distinctively remember the director of R:L wanted to make Ubwork opensource, and then nothing happens...

[@MrHeavyRunner]

Chris Lin I remember too...

[@citrusblast4372]

I want a rayman like this, with an actual story

[@DragONheart27X]

I say just uhh release a version of the engine.

[@Skikopl]

@@chrislin2663 IKR , michel ancel is btw creator of rayman

[@robinekeheien2420]

Rayman is such a huge inspiration for us when we make our "2D Handcrafted art" packages on the AssetStores. Thanks for the talk

[@SotNist]

Bro that whole level design/asset manipulation section @ 14:49 is super easy. Everyone in the LittleBigPlanet community would pick that up instantly. Please make a user generated content, Rayman Unlimited game. A 3rd game, with a full set of levels of worlds from the pros, then an online create suite for the assets and publishing area with online play. It would totally justify a 3rd game, add the kind of feature growth a big publisher likes to see.

[@surf_gorange]

Man he's really good at speaking, no annoying "ehhhh, uummmm" 's, doesn't stumble on words and really interesting subject, too bad the mic quality is subpar.

[@carrottoponcrak]

I won't watch any GDC talks if they say umm or like every two seconds. This guy was very good

[@tensevo]

A touch passive aggressive but still delivered a good talk.

[@euchale]

I was not aware that there is such a thing as "wholesome" GDC talks.

[@lndozois]

I don't think I've ever fundamentally agreed more with a design talk!

[@HarukaxYuuki]

Wish a normal person could buy Ubiart, myself as an artist is just gorgeous

[@Andre-LA]

I loved this talk!

[@saganmcvander636]

33:10 at this point, you realize this guy watches Bob Ross too much

[@zetetick395]

Is it me or did this presentation morph into a UbiArt sales pitch to 3rd parties halfway though? (even though these smaller titles - Rayman - Grow Home - Child of Light - etc are the best things coming outta Ubi for some time now)

[@AladdinHamzehx3]

wooow.. this is amazing

[@zetetick395]

Is my hearing borked or did someone from Ubisoft just say what I think they said?? (14:00)

[@dkStitch]

Good guy

[@Skikopl]

22:47 well they should give him a better laptop that poor guy but very nice support

[@paulpetkevic4699]

I remember the time when Ubisoft wanted to release the framework for free...

[@ShazRath]

I wish i could use the ubiart framework :( such waste of resources for indie devs :( i wouldnt even mind paying for it.

[@ralphwarom2514]

So this is basically an AD for UBi Art engine for when they make it a paid product. :D This is amazing. I want.

[@quadraovan2125]

this engine it's amazing i can tell it from the video, i hope i can use this engine xD better for level designing :D

[@Drstrange3000]

What happened to UbiArt games? There hasn't been one in a while.

[@saporob]

that engine is now obsolete, that's the reason and there is no need to develop another one when unity is just better for 2 D. The last rayman game was on Ios, android in 2019.

[@owensoft]

Probably took about 2 years to make the tool and another year for the artists to be proficient and debug. But its cool none the less.

[@MforMovesets]

Still have the game here for PS3, unboxed... I'm lazy.

[@emmanuelhenne]

Chris McEntee is scary, he is like the Christopher Walken of pspeakers :D

[@grimfantastic1764]

The worlds SLOWEST laptop..

[@miexperienciacon...5920]

se suponía que Ubiart Frameworks iba a ser un motor open source para que desarrolladores indies pudieran sacar provecho de su completísima interfaz... solo sirve para crear juegos de plataforma en 2D o 2.5D, pero para un desarrollador novato que trabaja solo o con un equipo reducido seria una herramienta de primera... personalmente estoy decepcionado de Ubisoft por no haber cumplido con la promesa de su desarrollador... Ancel mismo (el creador y programador del motor) expreso su intención de liberar esta herramienta al mundo, pero Ubisoft sigue comportándose como Ubisoft... no se de que me sorprendo

[@noidea5597]

Ubisoft is just another shitty greedy game company after all.

[@techbit7607]

Why not sell the engine assets on unity and unreal engine, it will benefit the gaming industry holding it lock and key will only force coders to come up with a free version.

[@hunter141072]

And in typical Ubi soft way of acting they simply took the engine out as it was used for original stuff, not overhyped crap like they love to. Of course it was never released to the public, why they´d do something like that?

[@IDontDoDrumCovers]

heres our awesome game making tools you should totally use them....except you dont have access to them www.change.org/p/yves-guillemot-release-ubiart-framework-as-an-open-source-engine

[@saporob]

ANd now everyone can do that with unity lol.

[@slymbo2382]

No lmao

[@SadTown99]

@@slymbo2382 yea definitely not lol