Open world the size of Europe. Wild from Rayman’s creator was meant to let players become shamans controlling animals
PlayStation 4 players have never complained about a lack of interesting games, but Wild, heading to this console, could stir up a lot of trouble by offering a massive open world.
Michel Ancel is a figure who probably needs no introduction to any video game fan. In the portfolio of this French developer, there are brands such as Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil. Another unique title was close to joining this esteemed group, as Ancel established a new team, Wild Sheep Studio.
We're talking here about an original MMO titled Wild. Let's explore why this game captured players' imaginations from its first announcement, and decide if we should regret that it never saw the light of day.
Shaman tricks in the big world
Wild was announced in August 2014 during the Gamescom trade fair. Given that the first trailer for this game was unveiled during Sony's conference (years ago, the Japanese giant treated the fair in Cologne almost on par with the American E3), it should come as no surprise that Wild, Sheep Studio's debut project was developed with the PlayStation 4 in mind.
Michel Ancel and his team presented a vision of a massive game, giving access to a vast, open world that was supposed to be comparable in size to Europe.
Wild was supposed to take us to the Neolithic era. During the game, we would play as shamans who could not only communicate with animals but also take control of them and even use some as mounts.
These were, for instance, an eagle, a snake, a fish, a rabbit, and also an owl or a bear. Every creature would provide us with access to unique features and abilities. For instance, as an owl, we could freely explore the world in the skies and investigate it for threats and interesting places. On the flip side, the bear could fight, defending us against enemies.
It's worth noting that our shaman wouldn't be a seasoned warrior, and penetrating the minds of animals would require him to enter a trance, during which he would be vulnerable to attacks.
Alone and in company
We could enjoy all of this alone or in the company of other players. Of course, among the latter, there would be room not just for allies. As we journey through the world of Wild, we would meet other players who might attack us as predators or observe our actions from above.
Such options were to be provided by an engine specially created for the needs of this project. Besides procedurally generating large areas, the technology behind Wild was intended to deliver top-notch graphics, featuring dense vegetation and detailed models of characters and animals.
Wild calendar
As I already mentioned, Wild was announced in August 2014. We had to wait over a year for the first gameplay from this title - it saw the light of day in October 2015. The next breaks in the publication of materials from Wild lasted even longer. In January 2017, the creators released a new screenshot from their game, and in April 2020, new concept arts were published.
Along with the latter, information appeared that Wild was supposed to be ported to PlayStation 5. However, the hope of fans waiting for this title could start to fade in September 2020, when Michel Ancel, the man behind it, left the video game industry. Nearly a year later, Jeff Grubb, an industry journalist known for often looking behind the scenes, reported that Wild had been canceled: interestingly, he believed the project was supposed to be fully completed at that time.
It wasn't until July 2024 that Steven ter Heide, the creative director, officially announced that Wild Sheep Studio is no longer developing Wild.
Wild problems
After Ancel resigned from developing video games, the publishing responsibility for Wild was supposed to be taken over by Ubisoft and assigned to the Ubisoft Paris team. Under the wings of the new team, the project underwent such a major transformation that it no longer resembled the vision presented to the players by the developers back in 2014.
The main reason for the fate that befell this title was supposed to be the size of the open world. What's worse, porting the project to PlayStation 5 only complicated the development process, instead of simplifying it (switching to a more powerful platform could have eliminated at least some of the technological limitations that the devs had to struggle with).
Wild substitute
In light of the problems Ubisoft is struggling with, at the time of writing these words, it doesn't seem that Wild will ever be resurrected. However, Michel Ancel's industry retirement was short-lived, as in October 2024 we found out he is working as a consultant on the new Rayman.
A taste of what Wild had to offer is given to us by another Ubisoft game, which was developed in parallel to the Sheep Studio's project. I'm referring to Far Cry Primal, which might not have been part of the MMO genre and didn't provide a continent-sized world, but it did let us control an owl-scout and ride prehistoric animals.
