Rayman Origins was  surprise success last year. The new art-style and return to platforming games proved that the genre had a lot of life in it.

Christophe Villez, the man behind the art on Rayman Origins, was on hand to answer a few questions from myself and other members of the media.

(M=Media, CV=Christophe Villez, T=Translator)

M: Congratulations on your award, it was well deserved. I loved Rayman Origins. My question is on 2D platforming games. Do you think they are a dying breed and something that needs to be revived in the industry?

CV: I mean that these kinds of game, kids like them as well as hardcore gamers. So they will continue to live.

M: Do you think it taps into some kind of childhood feeling?

CV: Good question. I think so. I get some people about thirty, forty years-old. They like this kind of game. I think it’s a good question because they played it when they were young.

M: One of the things I loved about Rayman Origins was the co-op. A lot of games don’t include this now days. Was this something really important to you when making the game?

CV: Yes. The game is just more fun.

M: Do you see games as having a bigger social element:

CV: Games such as Mario that have added co-op are great. When playing you can do things like smash your partner, which is just more fun.

M: Rayman Origins takes a very new art style. Is that something  you deliberately went for or did it naturally evolve as you were creating the game?

CV: We tried to keep the spirit of the first one. We also wanted to create something new.

M: A slightly random question, but the Nymphs in the game were a bit more exposed than other character and this is interesting for a game which is family friendly. Any reason as to why?

CV: Yeah fun. Just fun. It’s good to draw, good to animate. If you remember the old Tex Avery stuff?

M: Are there many more Rayman Origins stories to be told?

T: We can’t really say anything. We don’t know.

Remember we interviewed a whole load of people. Read more from Portal 2, Minecraft and  Modern Warfare 3′s creators here.

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