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Wild (video game)

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Wild
Developer(s)Wild Sheep Studio
Publisher(s)Sony Interactive Entertainment
Director(s)Michel Ancel
Writer(s)Michel Ancel
Platform(s)PlayStation 4
PlayStation 5
Genre(s)Survival
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Wild was a cancelled survival game developed by Wild Sheep Studio and Ubisoft Paris and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game was announced in 2014 and had infrequent updates during development, with the game eventually being rumored to be cancelled after game director Michel Ancel retired from the game industry in 2020, making it a vaporware game. As of 2024, the game is no longer in development, as editorial duties were transferred to Ubisoft Paris and never finished.

Gameplay

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Wild is set during the prehistoric Neolithic period in a procedurally generated world.[1] Within the game world, the player controls a human and can use smaller animals to spy on others, or larger animals to support the player and their tribe in fights with other humans.[2] Animals can be controlled by using shamanic powers - once "possessing" an animal the gameplay moves to the point of view of the controlled creature, and then proceeds using the skills and characteristics of that animal.[3]

Development

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2014-2020: Announcement

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Wild began development in 2014 at Wild Sheep Studio, a developer based in Montpellier founded by Michel Ancel from Ubisoft.[4][5] Initial plans for the game included a very large, continent-sized open world, dynamic weather complete with seasonal variations, online play, and the ability to play as any wild creature in the world, including wolves, sheep, fish, ants, cats, birds, etc.[6] A gameplay trailer for the game was shown at Gamescom in August 2014 and then at Paris Games Week in October 2015, where the developers released a new gameplay trailer and a film about the production of the game.[7][8]

Due to the lack of updates during development, many journalists considered the game to be vaporware by 2020.[9][10][11][12]

2020: Ancel's departure

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In September 2020, Ancel announced his retirement from the gaming industry but added that development on the game would continue without him.[13]

2024: End of development

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In July 2024, creative director Steven ter Heide confirmed on Twitter that the game was no longer being actively developed at Wild Sheep Studio.[14] In December 2024, Ancel clarified that editorial duties were transferred to Ubisoft Paris, owing to Ubisoft's connections to him, after Wild Sheep Studio had spent time converting it to the PlayStation 5; this proved to be its undoing. Development under Ubisoft's feedback had deviated from the original playable build in 2018 to the point it did not resemble it in any way, and the studio's sexual assault controversy led to it being properly abandoned. Sony attempted to convince Wild Sheep Studio to return to their development duties but could not do so due to contracts with Ubisoft, quietly cancelling the game.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ Dent, Steve (29 October 2015), "Befriend a bear or get killed by it in PS4-exclusive 'Wild'", www.engadget.com, archived from the original on 25 August 2017, retrieved 18 September 2017
  2. ^ Haas, Pete (28 October 2015), "PS4 Exclusive Wild Lets You Possess Animals, Talk To Gods", www.cinemablend.com
  3. ^ Dale, Laura Kate (27 October 2015), "PS4 exclusive Wild looks like symbiotic Animorphs", www.destructiod.com, archived from the original on 29 October 2015, retrieved 29 October 2015
  4. ^ "WiLD: Technology & People behind an Environmental Adventure". 80.lv. 28 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Rayman creator Michel Ancel leading new indie studio Wild Sheep, will stay at Ubisoft (update)". polygon.com. 31 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Introducing WiLD, a PS4 exclusive from Rayman creator Michel Ancel", blog.eu.playstation.com, 12 August 2014, archived from the original on 12 July 2015, retrieved 29 October 2015
  7. ^ Anderson, Kell (12 August 2014), "Gamescom 2014: PS4 Exclusive WiLD Looks Wacky, Wonderful, and, Erm, Wild", www.pushsquare.com, archived from the original on 17 October 2015, retrieved 29 October 2015
  8. ^ "PARIS GAMES WEEK: WILD GAMEPLAY TRAILER". gameindustry.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Wild :Michel Ancel Posts Picture, Promises More Spoiler-Free Screens Soon". Game Informer. 27 January 2017. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  10. ^ Kolner, Chris (27 December 2016), "Thanks for Nothing, Videogames: The 2016 Vaporware Awards", www.wired.com, archived from the original on 17 February 2018, retrieved 13 June 2018
  11. ^ Fulton, Will (19 June 2017), "Here are the top vaporware games that are currently MIA", www.digitaltrends.com, archived from the original on 13 June 2018, retrieved 13 June 2018
  12. ^ "Where the Heck Is PS4 Exclusive Wild?". GAMING. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  13. ^ Phillips, Tom (18 September 2020). "Rayman creator Michel Ancel quits video games to work on wildlife sanctuary". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Pour One Out for PS4 Exclusive WiLD, No Longer in Active Development". 9 August 2024.
  15. ^ Scullion, Chris (9 December 2024). "Ubisoft's handling of cancelled PlayStation exclusive Wild was 'a real scandal', director claims". VGC. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  16. ^ Le Moal, Quentin (6 December 2024). "Entretien avec Michel Ancel : le créateur de Rayman et Beyond Good & Evil se confie sur sa nouvelle vie". Superpouvoir.com (in French). Retrieved 10 December 2024.
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