Michel Ancel: Difference between revisions
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==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
Michel Ancel was born in Monaco on the 29th of March, 1972. Ancel is currently married to Alexandra Ancel ''née'' Steible, with whom he has two children. He is the stepfather of Alexandra's four older children, and has two more children of his own from a previous relationship. His eldest child, Claire, was born when he was sixteen years old. Alexandra worked with Ancel on the first two ''Rayman'' games, as well as ''Beyond Good & Evil'' and ''King Kong''. | Michel Ancel was born in Monaco on the 29th of March, 1972. Ancel is currently married to Alexandra Ancel ''née'' Steible, with whom he has two children. He is the stepfather of Alexandra's four older children, and has two more children of his own from a previous relationship. His eldest child, Claire, was born when he was sixteen years old. Alexandra worked with Ancel on the first two ''Rayman'' games, as well as ''[[Beyond Good and Evil|Beyond Good & Evil]]'' and ''King Kong''. | ||
==Video game developing career== | ==Video game developing career== | ||
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Ancel was also heavily involved in the development of ''[[Rayman 2: The Great Escape]]'' in 1999, but had only an advisory role on ''[[Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc]]''. Although he praised its development team, he says that the game is "a bit too concrete for my tastes", and that he "would have made the game differently". | Ancel was also heavily involved in the development of ''[[Rayman 2: The Great Escape]]'' in 1999, but had only an advisory role on ''[[Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc]]''. Although he praised its development team, he says that the game is "a bit too concrete for my tastes", and that he "would have made the game differently". | ||
In 2003, he created ''Beyond Good & Evil'', which garnered critical acclaim and a cult following, but was a commercial failure. However, acclaimed film director Peter Jackson's admiration for the game – and his frustration with EA's handling of the ''The Lord of the Rings'' license – led to Ancel being given direction of the ''Peter Jackson's King Kong'' video game adaptation. In spite of Ubisoft's reluctance to produce a ''Beyond Good & Evil'' sequel, Ancel has expressed a clear wish to produce one in the future. | In 2003, he created ''[[Beyond Good and Evil|Beyond Good & Evil]]'', which garnered critical acclaim and a cult following, but was a commercial failure. However, acclaimed film director Peter Jackson's admiration for the game – and his frustration with EA's handling of the ''The Lord of the Rings'' license – led to Ancel being given direction of the ''Peter Jackson's King Kong'' video game adaptation. In spite of Ubisoft's reluctance to produce a ''Beyond Good & Evil'' sequel, Ancel has expressed a clear wish to produce one in the future. | ||
On March 13, 2006, Ancel, along with ''Mario'' creator Shigeru Miyamoto and ''Alone in the Dark''/''Little Big Adventure'' creator Frédérick Raynal, was knighted by the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, a knight of arts and literature. It was the first time that video game developers were honoured with this distinction. | On March 13, 2006, Ancel, along with ''Mario'' creator Shigeru Miyamoto and ''Alone in the Dark''/''Little Big Adventure'' creator Frédérick Raynal, was knighted by the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, a knight of arts and literature. It was the first time that video game developers were honoured with this distinction. | ||
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On April 5, 2006, [[Ubisoft]] announced Ancel was leading the development of the fourth game in the ''Rayman'' series, ''[[Rayman Raving Rabbids]]'', for the Nintendo Wii. The game began production in early 2005 and was released on November 15, 2006 for the launch of the Wii. However, Ancel was notably absent from the project after its E3 announcement, and he has made no public appearances regarding the game after the development team switched focus from a free-roaming platformer to the final minigames format shortly after E3. In the final game, Ancel was only credited with storyboarding and character design, while design credits were shared between multiple other people. | On April 5, 2006, [[Ubisoft]] announced Ancel was leading the development of the fourth game in the ''Rayman'' series, ''[[Rayman Raving Rabbids]]'', for the Nintendo Wii. The game began production in early 2005 and was released on November 15, 2006 for the launch of the Wii. However, Ancel was notably absent from the project after its E3 announcement, and he has made no public appearances regarding the game after the development team switched focus from a free-roaming platformer to the final minigames format shortly after E3. In the final game, Ancel was only credited with storyboarding and character design, while design credits were shared between multiple other people. | ||
In an interview with Nintendo Power, Ancel confirmed that he was working on a new project which meant a lot to him. He also talked about Jade from ''Beyond Good & Evil'' and said that "I really hope that Jade will continue to keep her values and her personality". [[Ubisoft]]'s CEO, [[Yves Guillemot]], confirmed that Michel Ancel was currently working on several unannounced projects, as of March 2008. | In an interview with Nintendo Power, Ancel confirmed that he was working on a new project which meant a lot to him. He also talked about Jade from ''[[Beyond Good and Evil|Beyond Good & Evil]]'' and said that "I really hope that Jade will continue to keep her values and her personality". [[Ubisoft]]'s CEO, [[Yves Guillemot]], confirmed that Michel Ancel was currently working on several unannounced projects, as of March 2008. | ||
In a 2008 interview with French video game magazine ''JVM'' (for ''Jeux Vidéo Magazine''), Ancel stated that a sequel to ''Beyond Good & Evil'' has been in pre-production by a small team for about a year, but they still await Ubisoft's approval before moving into full production. | In a 2008 interview with French video game magazine ''JVM'' (for ''Jeux Vidéo Magazine''), Ancel stated that a sequel to ''Beyond Good & Evil'' has been in pre-production by a small team for about a year, but they still await Ubisoft's approval before moving into full production. | ||
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*''[[Rayman Rush]]'' (2002) – Concept | *''[[Rayman Rush]]'' (2002) – Concept | ||
*''[[Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc]]'' – Rayman Created By & Special Thanks To | *''[[Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc]]'' – Rayman Created By & Special Thanks To | ||
*''Beyond Good & Evil'' (2003) – Directed By, Story, Design, Additional Character Design | *''[[Beyond Good and Evil|Beyond Good & Evil]]'' (2003) – Directed By, Story, Design, Additional Character Design | ||
*''Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie'' (2005) – Creative Director, Game Design | *''Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie'' (2005) – Creative Director, Game Design | ||
*''[[Rayman Raving Rabbids]]'' (2006) – Based on an original world by | *''[[Rayman Raving Rabbids]]'' (2006) – Based on an original world by | ||
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==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
*In an interview of ABC from the GoodGame rubric, Ancel revealed that the pink beast which appears in the E3 2010 trailer of the upcoming ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' was voiced by himself. | *In an interview of ABC from the GoodGame rubric, Ancel revealed that the pink beast which appears in the E3 2010 trailer of the upcoming ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' was voiced by himself. | ||