Interview of Michel Ancel: the fans ask the questions!

[Hunchman801]

The interview is far from dead, and may even be better than what was planned at first!

[Sabertooth]

I just hope it sheds some light on the whole Magician/Mister Dark thing.

[Pusianka]

well now that I've seen ending it definetly feels like a retell and not prequel to rayman 1

[Rulez]

well now that I've seen ending it definetly feels like a retell and not prequel to rayman 1

Noteworthy that it's a sequel.

[Pusianka]

oh where is that said gimme on paper

"Ubisoft was marketing the game as an origins story"

~wikipedia

It's kind of hard to born after saving world from evil

[Rulez]

I won't give you paper, we're on the Internet.

Sigh, I guess you didn't see Spiral's sig which was intended to make new people know that Origins is actually a sequel, yes?

[Master]

oh where is that said gimme on paper

The fact that characters are said to "RETURN"
Mr. Dark:

The archenemy from Rayman 1 returns
A stupedendous super villain, it was Mr. Dark who stole the Great Protoon and sent the electoons scattering from it’s orbit. This series of events upset the harmonic balance of Rayman’s world and a heroic fight followed.

Note that it says returns and references the events of Rayman 1 in past tense, the manual makes a similar statement.
From the top of my head, I also recall it calling Betilla a "badass" nymph who returned also from the ORIGINAL Rayman.

[Pusianka]

"Ubisoft was marketing the game as an origins story"

~wikipedia

It's kind of hard to born after saving world from evil

Plus Mr. Dark RETURNS does not mean its a sequel. Word RETURN is used as a slogan.
none of it proves that its a sequel nor prequel. It's a retell.

[Master]

"Ubisoft was marketing the game as an origins story"

~wikipedia

It's kind of hard to born after saving world from evil

Plus Mr. Dark RETURNS does not mean its a sequel. Word RETURN is used as a slogan.
none of it proves that its a sequel nor prequel. It's a retell.

Ok, I'm going to quote what Spiral stated:

There's really no evidence in-game that the game is a sequel. :l
I dunno where people are getting this--
Plus almost every thing about it points to it being prequel.

Well, the official website’s description of Mr Dark states that ‘the archenemy from Rayman 1 returns’, and gives a synopsis of R1’s story in the past tense and from an in-story perspective. Also, the Bubble Dreamer mistakes one of the Teensy skins for a Robo-Pirate. The script contained a couple of skins that were cut from the final game (Tarayzan and Uglette), and the dialogue accompanying them made it really clear that Origins wasn’t a prequel – these aren’t necessarily canon, but they’re still a good indication that the developers intended this game to be a sequel. The game still contains dialogue where the Bubble Dreamer talks about the Grand Minimus’s ‘I am the king! No, it’s me!’ routine, which is something that only occurred after the Grand Minimus had been locked in a cage with three other Teensies in Rayman 2. The Bubble Dreamer also mentions the creation of Dark Rayman by Mr Dark (which of course occurred way back during R1) if you pull his beard with the Dark Rayman skin (at least, I’m pretty sure that’s the case; the very presence of a Dark Rayman skin is compelling evidence in and of itself that Origins is a sequel, not a prequel). You’ll also notice that the idea of Rayman and Globox maturing and becoming the heroes of the other games (which was the main focus of the first trailer) has been completely dropped since; the removal of the cutscene showing Rayman’s creation helps to distance it even further from the original prequel idea. Whenever the developers are talking about the game, they always say it’s about going back to the series’s roots (2D gameplay and fantastical worlds), not about going back to Rayman’s birth. The word ‘prequel’ is never used by the developers or the marketing department – not once. ‘Sequel’, on the other hand, has been used – Ancel stated that they had decided to make the game a ‘real sequel’, which has to count for something (although I’ll grant the possibility that something was lost in translation, but I don’t think it’s unlikely). Another thing is that the official Rayman 3 site said that the Great Spirit Palmito imprisoned the Griskins in a tower of light so that they wouldn’t awaken any more of the sleeping spirits that dwell in the Land of the Livid Dead – Rayman Origins shows exactly what happens when the sleeping spirits beneath the Land of the Livid Dead are roused. Also, Murfy, Polokus and the Grand Minimus are depicted as already being Rayman’s friends by the beginning of Origins, whereas in Rayman 2 it’s quite clear that they are meeting him for the first time. And let’s not forget Murfy’s line in R3: ‘See you in Rayman 4!’ In R1, Betilla introduces herself to Rayman, which casts some doubt on the canonicity of the scene depicting Rayman’s birth (not to say that it didn’t occur, as it’s directly referenced by the final game; just that some of the details may have changed – for example, we know that the other nymphs were involved in the ritual, and that Lums were used), and certainly wouldn’t make sense if they already knew each other well (and Origins makes it quite clear that they do). Also, Rayman has his R3 appearance, and many of the characters (like the Livingstones and the Hunters) look older and more cynical. Finally, Rayman Origins ends with a certain twist pertaining to the trustworthiness of a certain character, which would only make sense if Origins took place after R1.

tl;dr – Rayman Origins is definitely a sequel, not a prequel. Spread the word! Now I have to go and re-think my life again; something’s definitely amiss here.

Plus, I would be more than happy to scan the manual if you want more proof, it has many references to the game's place in the timeline.

[RaymanPS1]

"Ubisoft was marketing the game as an origins story"

~wikipedia

It's kind of hard to born after saving world from evil

Plus Mr. Dark RETURNS does not mean its a sequel. Word RETURN is used as a slogan.
none of it proves that its a sequel nor prequel. It's a retell.

Who knows? I am confused.. :S

[Pusianka]

So Rayman origins is not Origins anymore, yes? This is quite confusing to be honest. Makes me wanna start my own Rayman plot which would be crystal clear.

[Master]

So Rayman origins is not Origins anymore, yes? This is quite confusing to be honest. Makes me wanna start my own Rayman plot which would be crystal clear.

I agree with you there...
It's a shame Michel didn't create a book explaining the continuity properly...
But, I'm sure with a little rethinking here and there, things will make sense.

[Pusianka]

The magician makes no sense.

[Master]

The magician makes no sense.

[Basically, Mr. Dark has been masquerading as the magician, his actions in the first game gaining Rayman's trust.
In RO he uses that trust so he can use the lums Rayman collects to create Mechas.]

[spiraldoor]

[The other possibility is that the Magician is not Mr Dark, but a Mr Dark fanboy who dresses like his hero, meaning that Mr Dark himself does not actually appear in Rayman Origins. This was confirmed outright by the early script, but we don’t know if that still counts; the only hints of that storyline remaining in the game are the posters on the wall in The Reveal.]

[Pusianka]

One more thing RO is a sequel to Rayman 1 or again I misread something?

[Sabertooth]

Yeah, I think they should have changed the title. The game did offer some explanations for stuff though, like the reason Globox turned blue.

[Mr. Dark Thingamajig]

maybe we get Rayman Origins 2

[spiraldoor]

maybe we get Rayman Origins 2

That was actually one of the questions that made it into the interview. Wait and see.

[Master]

maybe we get Rayman Origins 2

That was actually one of the questions that made it into the interview. Wait and see.

You guys are legends.