The game was originally planned for release on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and featured a 2 player co-op mode and different graphics. Although it was nearly complete, Ubisoft decided to move the project to CD-ROM based consoles, and hired cartoon animators to improve the game's graphics. A prototype demo of one level from this version of the game was later officially released in 2026 as part of the game's 30th anniversary re-release compilation.

Early in development, the main character of Rayman was a 10-year old boy named Jimmy who created a world called Hereitscool inside his computer. When this world was threatened by Mister Dark, Jimmy was sucked into his computer and became Rayman. Most of this plotline was quickly abandoned.

The Atari Jaguar version of Rayman contains many messages for developers' family and friends that can be seen by using specific passwords, some written in French while others are written in English. Some notable ones include: