Where The Hell is Beyond Good and Evil 2?

Fans of the cult hit Beyond Good & Evil were teased with a sequel that remains in continuous development, or will Beyond Good and Evil 2's development come to an end and be canceled?

Ubisoft is known for taking its time when it comes to developing some of their titles, and it has taken a games release years to reach its launch. One of Ubisoft's longest titles in development, Skull and Bones, took over 10 years before it was eventually released to fans of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag's naval warfare. It seems Beyond Good and Evil 2 will follow suit and extend development beyond its years.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 has been in development for 17 years. It's crazy to think of how long that's actually been for the development of one title. The initial announcement was early 2008. The game was first teased at Ubisoft Days back in 2008 with a cinematic trailer, but little progress was shown for nearly a decade. Development was paused at Ubisoft Montpellier, with the team changing focus onto another project, Rayman Legends, in 2013.

An early trailer in 2009 suggested a narrative sequel to the original Beyond Good and Evil. Which released in 2003, but the project was later reimagined as a prequel. Michelle Ancel, the original game's creator, led the project through conflicting reports about its status and rumors of cancellation surfaced during the time period that he was there. Ancel left the project, more on that later.

Ubisoft re-revealed Beyond Good and Evil 2 with a cinematic trailer showcasing a vibrant open world prequel set in System 3 featuring space piracy and cooperative gameplay. A pre-alpha demo was shown at E3 2018 following the protagonist in exploration and co-op mechanics.The game looked awesome. But it's still yet to be released. The studio saw personnel changes and huge setbacks.

In 2020, Michelle Ancel left Ubisoft amid allegations of toxic management, which reportedly disrupted the game's development. French reports claim that Ancel's frequent changes to the game's vision caused instability. In July 2023, creative director Emil Morrel died suddenly at age 40. The game, which is somehow still in development, has been through hell. Can Ubisoft save Beyond Good and Evil 2 from themselves?

A 2023 report noted that Ubisoft Montpellier faced a labor investigation due to unprecedented development burnout, highlighting internal struggles. In 2022, reported by Bloomberg indicated the game was still in pre-production, suggesting significant reboots or even a full restart. However, Ubisoft has constantly reaffirmed the game's active development, with updates back in June 2024 and October 2024 confirming it's past internal milestones.

Positive feedback from Ubisoft. Beyond Good and Evil 20th Edition was released in June 2024. Many were speculating at the time that this could have been a look and a lead up into Beyond Good and Evil 2, but as you all know as much as I do, we have yet to see anything about the game. Back in October 2024, Ubisoft confirmed new developers, including staff from Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, being assigned to the project under Fawzi Mesmar's appointment, aimed to stabilize the direction of the title, who has since become their new creative director.

As of right now, Beyond Good and Evil 2 still remains in active development over at Ubisoft Montpellier. However, time will tell. The project is stated to have "found its new footing" as it passed internal testing back in 2024 with its new leadership under Fawzi. Time will tell if the new leadership has been able to fix the damage over the years from the toxic work environment and burnout.

Will we ever see beyond Good and Evil 2? I hope so. That trailer looked promising, opportunities are there with fans asking for years for a sequel. Beyond Good and Evil one has a cult following. It's only a matter of time if we can actually see what is happening with a sequel fans could only dream of. Let us know what you think about the development of Beyond Good and Evil 2. Will Ubisoft ever release Beyond Good and Evil 2?