NFC feature unconfirmed for Rayman Legends, says Ubisoft
If you saw the leaked trailer of Rayman Legends released this year and have been wondering about the objects that you would beam into the game using the near-field communication (NFC) technology, you can stop waiting.
The game’s creative director Michael Ancel has confirmed that the NFC feature shown in the leaked video was just an idea that the studio had been toying with and at no point was it implied that it was a concrete part of the game.
"We didn't announce this officially and it was more the kind of experiment we do when working on new hardware like the Wii U," Ancel told the Official Nintendo Magazine. "We had prototypes of this and we believe that having real objects manipulating gameplay could be quite innovative. But again, this was a prototype and we won't discuss it until it's ready to demonstrate its full potential."
While this does not necessarily mean that Ubisoft has no plans of incorporating the NFC feature into the game, it still creates a significant amount of doubt as there are a number of things that the studio will have to take into consideration.
Allowing real-life objects to be beamed into the game by placing them on the screen of GamePad, the unique tablet controller that Nintendo’s first-ever HD console comes with, to manipulate the gameplay of Rayman Legends is a challenge that any developer will find itself struggling to handle.
Ancel, however, did admit that the NFC capabilities of Wii U can be used to deliver innovative gameplay.
While it is difficult to ascertain if the NFC feature shown in Rayman Legend’s leaked video ends up becoming a part of the game, it is still a very positive sign to see developers experimenting with the idea and creating prototypes.
Even though Wii U launched with 23 titles in America, none of them made use of the NFC technology. The 24 titles confirmed as launch titles for UK do not make use of the NFC technology either.
Rayman Legends is a direct sequel to last year’s Rayman Origins. The game was originally planned to be a launch title for Wii U, but was eventually delayed until the first quarter of 2013.
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