Rayman 20th Anniversary Run by raygirl on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

It’s been a long run, old friend. You’re still looking amazing.

In around 1995/6 I played my first ever Rayman game. It was at my aunt’s apartment in New York, and I vividly remember being blown away by the colour, the music, and the unique design of the first of Rayman’s adventures. We didn’t have a powerful PC of our own, and up till that point I’d only ever played on the NES and Sega Megadrive, so this whole game was a new experience. To this day the music from the Bandlands levels has a special place in my heart.

Now, 20 years later the love and respect for this very unique game character hasn’t dwindled. Rayman has had some amazing games (and a few duds!), and his continued adventures still inspire creativity to this day. I’m certain the limbless hero and his world were a huge part in forming my imagination and optimistic outlook on life.

With that in mind I wanted to extend a special thank you and hugs to all you fellow rayfans out there. There are so many of you. Determined, creative, inspiring, funny, passionate and delightful people. You play the games, write the stories, draw the fanart, expand Rayman’s world through your own creations and it is a wonder to behold. From the doodles to the masterpieces, the custom sprite sheets to full blown fan game models, from the casual discussions to the 20 chapter fanfics. You are all rayfans. You are all a credit to your fanbase. And without you Rayman probably wouldn’t be the iconic creation he is now.

And a MASSIVE thanks to all the amazing teams who have worked on the Rayman games, the TV series, the merch and every other aspect of Rayman’s world. To Monsieur Ancel and his team at UbiArts. The designers, animators and coders. The musicians and voice actors, community directors, convention and expo staff. Producers and directors and managers alike. You are the people keeping Rayman going. You deal with us fans whining and bickering. You guys are amazing, and we don’t thank you nearly enough. Thank you.

Happy 20th Birthday Rayman.

THANK YOU.