Rayman 4: The Lost Prototype That Could Have Changed Everything

[KittenLikeYou007]

Rayman 4: The Lost Gem That Never Was… Until 2022!

After Rayman 3, everyone was hyped for Rayman 4. Murphy even teased it at the end of R3! And yet… it never officially released. Originally planned for multiple platforms, even the Wii, it was supposed to be a true adventure, not some party game nonsense that derailed the franchise.

There was even a trailer for the original Rayman 4 showing the game as it actually was supposed to be: the Rabbids were just enemies and bosses, with different variants and sizes. Check it here:

In 2022, a prototype leaked online. Exploring it… wow. This thing was massive and ambitious. Huge maps, multiple gameplay styles, tons of content. Honestly, in this early version, it couldn’t have shipped in 2006—probably would’ve needed at least another year to be finished.

Because of the Wii and the craze for mini-games, the devs shifted it into a party game, killing what could have been a true platforming masterpiece. Looking at this prototype, I see so much wasted potential, content that could have rivaled or even surpassed Rayman 2 and 3.

The prototype contains:

• Different gameplay styles
• Huge open maps
• New enemies and bosses
• Among the enemies, Rabbids with multiple variants and sizes
• All the innovations the party game version later removed!

A community of fans has fixed some bugs in the prototype, making it much more playable. The game is still incomplete, but some Rabbid bases and boss encounters can actually be explored and completed .

I’ll be posting screenshots of the leaked prototype soon to show just how amazing it could have been.


Honestly… I’m angry and disappointed, but also grateful to have discovered this prototype. It’s a bittersweet joy, a glimpse at the Rayman 4 that could have been .

What do you think—could this have been the best Rayman ever?

 

[solnK!]

I´d kil for having this game today, Ubi really did dirty his most important character.

 

[Don Patch]

My mind is blown!
I did not know about this.

Hot damn, this would have been cool.

 

[ThatOneLum ThatOneLum]

Yeah I really loved the 3D rayman games. They had a really interesting feature on Rayman 2 in this months RetroGamer that was a blast to read.

I genuinely learned stuff about the making of the games I didn't know before. Tempted for a replay soon.

 

[fake-kun]

This looks AI-generated.

 

[KittenLikeYou007]

This looks AI-generated.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but those images aren’t generated by AI — they’re just screenshots. You can simply download the prototype from Archive.org and see for yourself that the graphics are exactly the same. Before saying nonsense, check your sources first."

 

[Nelson2001 Nelson2001]

I think this fourth installment of the Rayman Franchise would look just as good as 2 and 3.

 

[dropsmegamega]

They probably were going for something akin Jak 3, huge open areas with plenty of side content, lots of battles, some mounts and whatnot, but low on actual platforming. Very different from 2 and 3, but still fun, would have had a late ps2 game feel.

 

[Kamako]

Big up the gal rockin' the Wayne Static cut

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I liked Raving Rabbids' first entry because it was darker but I agree, it shouldn't have overtaken the main series.

Like Wario Ware and Wario Land both could've coexisted.

 

[fake-kun]

"Sorry to disappoint you, but those images aren’t generated by AI — they’re just screenshots. You can simply download the prototype from Archive.org and see for yourself that the graphics are exactly the same. Before saying nonsense, check your sources first."

I meant the post, not the screenshots.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Ironically Rayman Raving Rabbids GBA was actually the closest to Rayman 4 we ever got.

Rayman 3 was apparently not directed by the original guy yet ended up good so there's no excuses to not be able to make a new 3D one.

Sadly knowing modern Ubisoft and how they have killed sequels to Rayman Origins/Legends I don't want to see it (or at least not by them).

 

[Graves Ruinwalker]

Honestly… I’m angry and disappointed, but also grateful to have discovered this prototype. It’s a bittersweet joy, a glimpse at the Rayman 4 that could have been .

What do you think—could this have been the best Rayman ever?

I know this way too well . For me it was Jazz Jackrabbit 3 .

I was and still am a huge Jazz Jackrabbit fan and when i saw and played the demo/prototype of JJ3 , i was feeling chaotic because at one point it actually played very nice and it was somehow fun which dissapointed me that it didnt was completed but it wasnt as great as the second game and all its rather cartoony and slightly edgy style with an attitude that was gone for a more middling thing that aint really Jazz Jackrabbit which brought me to the thought that the franchise has already peaked and its hard to do a sequel that holds up with its awesome former games and could overdone it , especially in 3D .

 

[KittenLikeYou007]

I know this way too well . For me it was Jazz Jackrabbit 3 .

I was and still am a huge Jazz Jackrabbit fan and when i saw and played the demo/prototype of JJ3 , i was feeling chaotic because at one point it actually played very nice and it was somehow fun which dissapointed me that it didnt was completed but it wasnt as great as the second game and all its rather cartoony and slightly edgy style with an attitude that was gone for a more middling thing that aint really Jazz Jackrabbit which brought me to the thought that the franchise has already peaked and its hard to do a sequel that holds up with its awesome former games and could overdone it , especially in 3D .

I’d been aware of Jazz Jackrabbit 3D for a very long time—several years, in fact. Since I didn’t know the series when it first came out, I’ve always felt a bit less connected to it than to Rayman on my side. Still, when I discovered Jazz 2 relatively late, I really enjoyed it (I never played the first game or the GBA version). I have, however, tried the Jazz Jackrabbit 3 prototype in 3D, and it was at a much more advanced stage of development than Rayman 4, with the game feeling noticeably less broken.

I meant the post, not the screenshots.

Let me make this clear: English is NOT my native language. I’ve already mentioned this (I’m not sure if it was in my profile—I might have forgotten—but it’s somewhere on the forum) because I’m French. For the translation, I did use an AI tool to go from French to English, BUT the original message was entirely written by me; I only asked the AI to translate it, not to generate the whole thing for me.

My English is pretty basic—I can manage “hello,” “goodbye,” and “thank you,” and that’s about it.

Like it or not, I’m replying with the help of AI since it’s translating for me; if I used Google Translate, it would be a lot worse.

EDIT/ Of course, if it were in my own language it would sound far more natural and far less forced.