Rayman is a beloved video game mascot that’s appeared in 45 different games since his debut in 1995, but he hasn’t made a mainline appearance since cameoing in Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope. When Ubisoft said Rayman would be in the new game Captain Laserhawk: The Game, fans got a bit excited—but that was quickly dashed as it became clear Captain Laserhawk is a new blockchain game featuring NFTs.
Captain Laserhawk isn’t a traditional Rayman game. In fact, he has little to nothing to do with the game. It’s a top-down multiplayer shooter, but before you can even play, you need to own an NFT. That’s right: Each player needs a Niji Warrior NFT, and they can only be purchased from Ubisoft.
There are also only 10,000 of them, with a purchase limit of two per account. On the dimly-lit side, you can purchase a Rayman profile photo for 750 virtual coins.
The game is based off the Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix TV show, which is in turn based on the Blood Dragon expansion for Far Cry 3.
And here’s the ultimate kicker: Rayman isn’t even a playable character. While you can get him as a profile picture, most of his presence in the game is as the announcer for deathmatches.
Key art of a Rayman game from Ubisoft. He’s running close to the camera in a purple shirt and red bandana.
Ubisoft
If you’d never heard of Captain Laserhawk, don’t worry. Ubisoft released the game with almost no marketing; in fact, it’s hard to find many details about the game at all outside of a few social media posts. Right now, you can try the game in early access on PC.
While it’s nice to see a reminder that Rayman hasn’t been forgotten, it’s a bit disappointing to see the iconic character relegated to a cameo in a blockchain game.
Ubisoft may want to consider taking some advice from Regina George: stop trying to make NFTs happen.
