Rayman creator helps launch new studio -- while still at Ubisoft

Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel is one of the founding members of Wild Sheep (pictured), a new French indie studio. He is expected to continue working at Ubisoft Montpellier while assisting Wild Sheep as they develop their first game. The news comes courtesy of a Twitter update by French journalist Olivier Bal, and was confirmed with Ubisoft by Gamasutra. Ubisoft later told Gamasutra that Ancel is still involved with work at Ubisoft Montpellier, and provided an official statement on the matter from Ubisoft Paris, Montpellier and Annecy managing director Xavier Poix. "We are fortunate to have some of the industry’s finest talents, including Michel Ancel, working with us at our studio," stated Poix, referring to Ubisoft Montpellier. "In addition to spending some of his time on this new venture, Michel is leading the creative development of select projects at Ubisoft Montpellier, including an extremely ambitious new title that is very close to his and the team’s heart.” This isn't the first time Ancel has demonstrated a willingness to step beyond Ubisoft's bounds -- last February, the designer was photographed holding signs protesting Ubisoft's decision to delay the release of Rayman Legends on Wii U.