Michel Ancel
Encyclopedia
Michel Ancel is a French
video game designer for Ubisoft
. He is best known for creating the Rayman
franchise for which he was the lead designer for the first two games, and which as of 2008 has sold the most units for the publisher. He is also known for the cult favourite Beyond Good & Evil
and for the video game adaptation of Peter Jackson's King Kong. He is currently working on a new Rayman game
and a sequel to Beyond Good & Evil
with a small team of developers, using development tools specially designed to make game development more accessible to a greater audience.
. Ancel then joined Ubisoft
as a graphic artist after meeting the game author Nicolas Choukroun
in Montpellier at the age of 17. He made the graphics of Nicolas' games such as The Intruder, Pick'n Pile before doing his first game as both programmer and graphic artist Brain Blaster published by Ubi Soft in 1990. In 1992, he began to work on Rayman, his directorial debut. It was originally released in 1995 for the Atari Jaguar
, and in 1996 for PlayStation
and Sega Saturn
.
Ancel was also heavily involved in the development of Rayman 2: The Great Escape
, but had only an advisory role on Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
. Although he praised its development team, he claims 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, film director Peter Jackson
's admiration of 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 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 April 5, 2006, Ubisoft
announced Ancel was leading the development of the fourth game in the Rayman series, Rayman Raving Rabbids
, for 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 mini games 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 is working on a new project that means a lot to him. He also talks about Jade from Beyond Good & Evil and says "I really hope that Jade will continue to keep her values and her personality". Ubisoft's CEO
Yves Guillemot has confirmed that Michel Ancel is currently working on several unannounced projects, as of March 2008.
In an interview with French-based video game magazine JeuxVidéo, Ancel stated that a sequel to Beyond Good & Evil had been in pre-production by a small team for about a year, but they were awaiting Ubisoft's approval before moving into full production.
Beyond Good & Evil 2
was officially announced at Ubidays 2008 event on May 28, 2008. On December 18, 2008, at the VGL
event in Paris, Ancel stated that the game has been under development for a year and a half and that the development team has received total freedom from Ubisoft
, giving them the opportunity to make the game how they want.
In 2010, Ubisoft
announced Rayman Origins
, an episodic video game designed by Michel Ancel. It's developed by a small team of five people. The title is using UBIart Framework developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and Ancel. UBIart is a developer platform that allows artists and animators to easily create content and use it in interactive environment. The engine is optimized for HD resolutions and is capable to run at 60fps in 1920x1080. UBIart tools will be released as open-source software in 2011.
Speaking at Montpellier in Game conference in June 2010, Ancel revealed that he's developing similar tools to create Beyond Good & Evil 2 with a very small team to preserve its "artistic spirit". Ancel is experimenting with different development techniques and tools. He claims these tools are getting similar to those used by Weta Digital
.
and Frédérick Raynal
, were 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 honored with this distinction.
Ancel is also recognized as one of the best game designers in IGN
's Top 100 Game Creators, ranking 24th out of 100.
In designing Peter Jackson's King Kong
, Ancel chose not to show any overlay information to increase the player's immersion in the game world, a design choice also seen in games such as Ico
or Another World
. For instance, low health is conveyed not with a meter but through blurred vision and the sound of heavy breathing.
Ancel rejects the often held belief that video games of French origin are more original, claiming the problem lies not in the development process, but in risk-averseness at US publishers.
Ancel worked on, but did not design, Tonic Trouble
(1999), which features limbless characters in the same mould as Rayman. He shares credit on his Rayman games with Frédéric Houde, while Jacques Exertier contributed many of the cinematic and story elements of Beyond Good & Evil
and King Kong
. He is also credited in Rayman games not designed by him because he was responsible for the creation of the character.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
video game designer for Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
. He is best known for creating the Rayman
Rayman
Rayman is a platform video game published, produced and developed by Ubisoft and is the first game in the Rayman series of videogames. Originally released on the PlayStation in 1995, it was re-released for the Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn and MS-DOS in 1996. It has also been ported to various formats,...
franchise for which he was the lead designer for the first two games, and which as of 2008 has sold the most units for the publisher. He is also known for the cult favourite Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil (video game)
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft and released in late for the GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms. The story follows the adventures of Jade, an investigative reporter and martial artist, who works with a resistance...
and for the video game adaptation of Peter Jackson's King Kong. He is currently working on a new Rayman game
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, November 24, 2011 in Australia and November 25, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii....
and a sequel to Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2 , or BG&E2, is the sequel to the 2003 video game Beyond Good & Evil, currently in development by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. Michel Ancel, the creator of the original game, is back as lead designer of the sequel...
with a small team of developers, using development tools specially designed to make game development more accessible to a greater audience.
Career
Ancel's first demo, Mechanic Warriors, was developed for software house LankhorLankhor
Lankhor was a French video game company, notable for producing Mortville Manor, the first video game to feature speech synthesis during gameplay....
. Ancel then joined Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
as a graphic artist after meeting the game author Nicolas Choukroun
Nicolas Choukroun
Nicolas Choukroun is a French multimedia author with multiple talents that encompass video games, music, professional audio, video and the internet.- His career in the video game industry :...
in Montpellier at the age of 17. He made the graphics of Nicolas' games such as The Intruder, Pick'n Pile before doing his first game as both programmer and graphic artist Brain Blaster published by Ubi Soft in 1990. In 1992, he began to work on Rayman, his directorial debut. It was originally released in 1995 for the Atari Jaguar
Atari Jaguar
The Atari Jaguar is a video game console that was released by Atari Corporation in 1993. It was the last to be marketed under the Atari brand until the release of the Atari Flashback in 2004. It was designed to surpass the Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Panasonic...
, and in 1996 for PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
.
Ancel was also heavily involved in the development of Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Rayman 2: The Great Escape is a platform game and the sequel to Rayman. It was developed by Ubisoft and first released on October 29, 1999. It is considered to have raised standards regarding 3D, level design and game play, being praised by numerous reviews...
, but had only an advisory role on Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is the third major platform game installment in the Rayman series. It tells the story of how Rayman stops André, an evil black lum, from taking over the world with his army of sack-like "Hoodlum" soldiers. The game has sarcastic self-referential undertones and pokes fun at...
. Although he praised its development team, he claims he would have "made the game differently".
In 2003, he created Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil (video game)
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft and released in late for the GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms. The story follows the adventures of Jade, an investigative reporter and martial artist, who works with a resistance...
, which garnered critical acclaim and a cult following, but was a commercial failure. However, film director Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's admiration of the game — and his frustration with EA
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
's handling of the The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
license — led to Ancel being given direction of the King Kong
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
video game adaptation
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is a first person shooter action adventure game based on the 2005 film King Kong...
. In spite of Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
's reluctance to produce a Beyond Good & Evil sequel, Ancel has expressed a clear wish to produce one in the future.
On April 5, 2006, Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
announced Ancel was leading the development of the fourth game in the Rayman series, Rayman Raving Rabbids
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Rayman Raving Rabbids, known in French as , is a spinoff in the Rayman series released by the French company Ubisoft as a Wii launch title. The game consists of over 70 minigames...
, for Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. 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 mini games 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
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
, Ancel confirmed that he is working on a new project that means a lot to him. He also talks about Jade from Beyond Good & Evil and says "I really hope that Jade will continue to keep her values and her personality". Ubisoft's CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Yves Guillemot has confirmed that Michel Ancel is currently working on several unannounced projects, as of March 2008.
In an interview with French-based video game magazine JeuxVidéo, Ancel stated that a sequel to Beyond Good & Evil had been in pre-production by a small team for about a year, but they were awaiting Ubisoft's approval before moving into full production.
Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2 , or BG&E2, is the sequel to the 2003 video game Beyond Good & Evil, currently in development by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. Michel Ancel, the creator of the original game, is back as lead designer of the sequel...
was officially announced at Ubidays 2008 event on May 28, 2008. On December 18, 2008, at the VGL
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
event in Paris, Ancel stated that the game has been under development for a year and a half and that the development team has received total freedom from Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
, giving them the opportunity to make the game how they want.
In 2010, Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
announced Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, November 24, 2011 in Australia and November 25, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii....
, an episodic video game designed by Michel Ancel. It's developed by a small team of five people. The title is using UBIart Framework developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and Ancel. UBIart is a developer platform that allows artists and animators to easily create content and use it in interactive environment. The engine is optimized for HD resolutions and is capable to run at 60fps in 1920x1080. UBIart tools will be released as open-source software in 2011.
Speaking at Montpellier in Game conference in June 2010, Ancel revealed that he's developing similar tools to create Beyond Good & Evil 2 with a very small team to preserve its "artistic spirit". Ancel is experimenting with different development techniques and tools. He claims these tools are getting similar to those used by Weta Digital
Weta Digital
Weta Digital is a digital visual effects company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993 to produce the digital special effects for Heavenly Creatures. In 2007 Weta Digital’s Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Joe Letteri, was...
.
Recognition
On March 13, 2006, he, along with Shigeru MiyamotoShigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
and Frédérick Raynal
Frédérick Raynal
Frédérick Raynal is a French video game designer and programmer, notable for his game developments in Infogrames, Adeline Software International and No Cliché. He is married to Yaël Barroz, a fellow game designer, with whom he has two children....
, were knighted by the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres
Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres
Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres , often known as RDDV, is a French politician, France's Minister of Culture from 2004 to 2007...
, a knight of arts and literature. It was the first time that video game developers were honored with this distinction.
Ancel is also recognized as one of the best game designers in IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Top 100 Game Creators, ranking 24th out of 100.
Design philosophy
Ancel aims for a high degree of freedom in his games. He is critical of games that claim to offer freedom, but present limits or invisible boundaries where players do not expect them.In designing Peter Jackson's King Kong
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is a first person shooter action adventure game based on the 2005 film King Kong...
, Ancel chose not to show any overlay information to increase the player's immersion in the game world, a design choice also seen in games such as Ico
Ico
is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took...
or Another World
Another World (video game)
Another World, also known as Out of This World in North America and Outer World in Japan, is a 1991 cinematic platformer designed and developed by Eric Chahi...
. For instance, low health is conveyed not with a meter but through blurred vision and the sound of heavy breathing.
Ancel rejects the often held belief that video games of French origin are more original, claiming the problem lies not in the development process, but in risk-averseness at US publishers.
Games
- Pick 'n Pile (1990) – Story
- Rayman (1995) – Concept & Design
- Tonic TroubleTonic TroubleTonic Trouble is a 3D platforming video game by Ubisoft Montreal. The story follows the main character, Ed, after a magic potion spills on the Earth and causes vegetables to become living killers. The game was received poorly; critics cite poor controls, a wordy exposition, and sloppy graphics...
(1999) – Concept - Rayman 2: The Great EscapeRayman 2: The Great EscapeRayman 2: The Great Escape is a platform game and the sequel to Rayman. It was developed by Ubisoft and first released on October 29, 1999. It is considered to have raised standards regarding 3D, level design and game play, being praised by numerous reviews...
(1999) – Concept, Game Design, Artistic Design & Story Concept - Rayman Arena (2001) – Character Design
- Beyond Good & EvilBeyond Good & Evil (video game)Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft and released in late for the GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms. The story follows the adventures of Jade, an investigative reporter and martial artist, who works with a resistance...
(2003) – Director, Game Design & Story - Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the MoviePeter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the MoviePeter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is a first person shooter action adventure game based on the 2005 film King Kong...
(2005) – Creative Director & Game Designer - Rayman Raving RabbidsRayman Raving RabbidsRayman Raving Rabbids, known in French as , is a spinoff in the Rayman series released by the French company Ubisoft as a Wii launch title. The game consists of over 70 minigames...
(2006) – Character Design & Based on a World Created By - Rayman Raving Rabbids 2Rayman Raving Rabbids 2Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 is the second installment of the Rayman Raving Rabbids party franchise, in which the Rabbids attempt to invade Earth and have set up headquarters near a local shopping mall. Players have the option to play as a Rabbid or as Rayman, who has disguised himself as a Rabbid to...
(2007) – Character Design & Based on a World created By - Rayman OriginsRayman OriginsRayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The game was released on November 15, 2011 in North America, November 24, 2011 in Australia and November 25, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii....
(2011) - Concept & Design - Beyond Good & Evil 2Beyond Good & Evil 2Beyond Good & Evil 2 , or BG&E2, is the sequel to the 2003 video game Beyond Good & Evil, currently in development by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. Michel Ancel, the creator of the original game, is back as lead designer of the sequel...
(TBA) – Designer
Ancel worked on, but did not design, Tonic Trouble
Tonic Trouble
Tonic Trouble is a 3D platforming video game by Ubisoft Montreal. The story follows the main character, Ed, after a magic potion spills on the Earth and causes vegetables to become living killers. The game was received poorly; critics cite poor controls, a wordy exposition, and sloppy graphics...
(1999), which features limbless characters in the same mould as Rayman. He shares credit on his Rayman games with Frédéric Houde, while Jacques Exertier contributed many of the cinematic and story elements of Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil (video game)
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft and released in late for the GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms. The story follows the adventures of Jade, an investigative reporter and martial artist, who works with a resistance...
and King Kong
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is a first person shooter action adventure game based on the 2005 film King Kong...
. He is also credited in Rayman games not designed by him because he was responsible for the creation of the character.
External links
- Michel Ancel profile at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...