Back in the early 2000s, Ubisoft and Phoenix Studio began development on Rayman 4, only for the project to be scrapped after a few months of work. Today, the source code for Rayman 4 has leaked online, along with the editing tools.How this leak has come about isn't yet known, but Twitter user @RibShark has shared some findings from the leak, which will no doubt come as a nice little early Christmas present for the hardcore Rayman fans out there.What does this mean for fans, then? Well, for most without the necessary technical skills to make use of the source code and its accompanying editor, not much. But, it's still cool to see what could have been had Ubisoft moved forward with Phoenix Studio's vision for Rayman 4 instead of the Rayman Raving Rabbids that was released instead. For one, players would have been able to explore a level called "Sphincter Cell" - an obvious parody of Ubisoft's Splinter Cell stealth series, and a display of the crude humor that was so prevalent in the mid-2000s. Players would have been able to get Rayman riding mounts, too, as shown in some images pulled from the canceled game and published to Twitter.
While most fans will look on and wonder what could have been, others may be able to actually do something with the tools that have been leaked. In fact, going off of RibShark's Twitter feed, it seems that the leaked game has some playable prototype levels. Perhaps those with the appropriate skill set could tinker with the editor and create levels based on previously leaked concept art and images, though any hope of getting the original Rayman 4 as intended should be left at the door.
Rayman fans have had it rough over the years with no proper numbered entry in over a decade. Ubisoft hasn't let the floaty-limbed hero rest too much, mind you, as he's still had a couple of outings in the 2D side-scrollers Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. However, these games are almost a decade old, and since then, Rayman has been left out in the cold, aside from the occasional re-release of the two UbiArt games. There is some good news on the horizon for Rayman fans: Ubisoft announced earlier this year that the lum muncher will be making an appearance as a downloadable character in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, though that won't be until late next year.