Back in 2021, whispers began circulating about Ubisoft’s PS4-exclusive game, Wild (stylized as WiLD), potentially facing the axe. Fast forward three years, and Wild Sheep Studio’s creative director Steven ter Heide finally confirmed the ambitious project was indeed shelved. As the drama unfolded, original director Michel Ancel pointed fingers at Ubisoft’s management mishaps as the root cause. Yet, former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida chimed in, offering a bit more clarity on what went down behind the scenes.
In a conversation with MinnMax, later covered by Push Square, Yoshida opened up about the development hurdles faced by Wild Sheep Studio with Wild. He reminisced about the game’s intriguing concept, highlighting its outstanding potential that sadly never saw the light of day.
“We partnered with Michel Ancel’s team at Wild Sheep Studio to bring Wild to life,” Yoshida recounted. “Their vision was truly something to behold. We collaborated closely for quite some time […] but unfortunately, it didn’t pan out in the end.”
Yoshida further elaborated on the situation, mentioning how several innovative ideas never fully translated into the game’s design. “The thought process was incredibly open-ended,” he explained. “One of the initial proposals even pitched a game world as vast as Europe.”
Reflecting on Wild’s production roller-coaster, Ancel painted a poignant picture in an interview last December. He described the game’s plight as “unfortunate.”
“In 2018, we had a promising version ready to play,” Ancel shared. “However, upgrading it to fit PS5 requirements significantly dragged out its development. Meanwhile, major shifts were taking place at Sony, and eventually, the project was halted.”
As Ubisoft stepped in to steer the project, Ancel struggled with burnout. The game landed under the care of Ubisoft Paris, an experience the former director described as chaotic. He criticized the management’s handling of Wild, calling it nothing short of scandalous.
“I wasn’t around to defend the game,” Ancel lamented. “It was essentially dismantled by individuals in the department who imposed numerous changes without even engaging with the gameplay. An absolute scandal. After wandering aimlessly for two years, the project was dropped, blamed for no longer aligning with its original concept.”
