At this point, one could reasonably assume that Beyond Good and Evil 2, the prequel to the 2003 cult classic, will never come out. Rumors surrounding this game have circulated for years until its official reveal at E3 2017. But since then, Ubisoft has revealed very little new information about the title. Last year, Ubisoft’s first-quarter financial report suggested that the company had not yet canceled Beyond Good and Evil 2. Unfortunately, it did not reveal much beyond that. If you hoped that today would bring more concrete news surrounding the game, then you should probably temper your expectations. Having said that, Ubisoft has recently confirmed once again that Beyond Good and Evil 2 remains in development.
Although Ubisoft has not made an official statement on Beyond Good and Evil 2, its Barcelona division did post a new job opening requesting a “Senior Gameplay Animator” for the title. Notably, Ubisoft Barcelona’s official Twitter account stated that Beyond Good and Evil 2 represents “one of the most ambitious Ubisoft projects to date.”
What we currently know
Reports suggest that at least five of Ubisoft’s studios have committed themselves to the project. Some may remember that Michel Ancel, the former director of Beyond Good and Evil 2, departed from the games industry in 2020. Him leaving likely created even more development woes for everyone involved. But considering the reports detailing Ancel’s apparently abusive work culture that came out since then, perhaps his departure served as a net positive for the developers.
Ubisoft’s reassurances regarding the ongoing development of Beyond Good and Evil 2 will likely do little to quell both the concerns and jokes surrounding the game’s vaporware status. If it ever comes out, one can only hope that the final product will live up to the immense anticipation that Ubisoft both intentionally and inadvertently built up over the years. Otherwise, this could easily end up becoming another Duke Nukem Forever situation.
Published: May 25, 2022 11:00 am