Backed by Sony for Years, Shuhei Yoshida Explains Why WiLD Was Cancelled | Push Square
WiLD, the ambitious open world game from Rayman creator Michel Ancel, was confirmed to be no longer in development last year, a full decade after announcement.
Now, Shuhei Yoshida, the former PlayStation executive who was president of PlayStation Studios for years, has shared his view on why the game never saw the light of day.
Speaking to MinnMax as part of a larger interview (time-stamped above), Yoshida essentially says the game's ambitions and ideas never really came together into a proper game.
«We were working with Michel Ancel's team, [Wild Sheep Studio], on a project called WiLD,» Yoshida begins. «That vision was amazing. So we worked with them for a long time [...] but in the end, we had to cancel it.»
Yoshida continues: «There [were] lots of great ideas [that] didn't really materialise into the game structure. It was very open kind of thinking [...] One of the earliest [pitches] was the map size of the game was the size of Europe.»
Following the studio confirming the project's cancellation, Ancel himself passed comment on the matter, saying that Ubisoft's handling of the game was a «real scandal».
It seems as though things really began to fall apart when Sony management shifted and publishing duties were handed to Ubisoft. Seemingly the game was a victim of circumstance, but Yoshida's comments make it sound like the development team wasn't able to deliver on its grand vision.
Whatever the case, it's a shame, as WiLD always looked full of potential. Are you disappointed about the fate of WiLD? Tell us in the comments section below.
Stephen has been part of the Push Square team for over six years, bringing boundless enthusiasm and a deep knowledge of video games to his role as Assistant Editor. Having grown up playing every PlayStation console to date, he's developed an eclectic taste, with particular passion for indie games, arcade racers, and puzzlers. He's also our go-to guy for Sonic-related matters, much to his delight/chagrin.
Speaking of Rayman, we
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