Beyond Good and Evil 2 explained

Beyond Good and Evil 2
Developer:Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher:Ubisoft
Composer:Christophe Héral
Released:TBA
Modes:Single-player, multiplayer

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is an upcoming video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and to be published by Ubisoft. It is a prequel to Beyond Good & Evil (2003). The game was originally announced at Ubidays 2008, with almost a decade of silence before being re-revealed at Ubisoft's E3 2017 conference, although no release window or target platforms have been mentioned.

Its development was characterized in the media by uncertainty, doubt, and rumors about the game's future, and has been referred to as vaporware by industry figures such as Jason Schreier due to its lengthy development and lack of a release date.[1] In 2022, Beyond Good and Evil 2 broke the record held by Duke Nukem Forever (2011) for the longest development period of a AAA video game, at more than 15 years. In 2023, the creative director, Emile Morel, died suddenly at age 40. Designer Fawzi Mesmar was appointed as the new creative director in October 2024.[2]

Gameplay

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is a video game set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective which takes place at least one generation before the events of Beyond Good & Evil. It has more traditional role-playing elements compared to the first game; the player creates a character that starts the game "at the very bottom of the social system". The character can be male or female.[3] As the player completes various tasks, they improve in various attributes, and gain spacecraft and crew members which they can also improve over time. The players visit planets that have their own societies, and by completing tasks on these planets, gain new technologies or other facets to improve their spacecraft. Its original director, Michel Ancel, said they anticipate that there will be a narrative element that includes fixed story events, as well as events based on what decisions the player had made in exploring planets.

The game will have single-player and cooperative player support; even as a single-player, the player can participate in a shared universe, with some events affecting all players at the same time. Beyond Good and Evil 2 will require an internet connection to play both single-player and multiplayer.[4]

Development

Beyond Good and Evil 2 has languished for several years and is considered to have been in development hell. The game is being developed using a new engine called the Voyager Engine, developed by Ubisoft Montpellier.[5] Composer Christophe Héral, who scored the music for the original game, will be returning for Beyond Good and Evil 2.[6] [7]

The original Beyond Good & Evil, released in 2003, was critically praised and gained a cult following, but was considered a commercial failure. Michel Ancel, the game's director, explained that as he wrote out the game's universe, he found it was bigger than what he could practically include within a single game, and thus anticipated the game would be the first of a trilogy of works. However, the poor sales of this game left its publisher, Ubisoft, reluctant to invest in a sequel.[8]

2007–2016: Rumors and leaks

Rumors about a sequel began to circulate around 2007, starting with a Nintendo Power interview with Ancel, who stated he was working on a new project that was very personal to him and mentioned his hopes to reuse Jade, the protagonist from Beyond Good & Evil, in a future project without changing her personality.[9] Ancel said in a May 2008 interview with the French magazine that a sequel to Beyond Good & Evil had been in pre-production for a year, but was yet to be approved by Ubisoft.[10]

Later that month, as part of their Ubidays event, Ubisoft released a trailer for the next yet-unnamed project from Ubisoft Montpellier, which had worked on Beyond Good & Evil. The trailer used Beyond Good & Evil music, and showed characters that appeared to be Jade and Pey'j from the original game. Ubisoft stated that the trailer had all been recorded within the game engine, showcasing high-resolution graphics representative of seventh generation consoles capabilities.[11] [12] A second, leaked trailer started circulating on the internet around May 2009, showing a character that appeared to be Jade running through a crowded street. The trailer was confirmed to be authentic by Ancel, while Ubisoft denied that they had purposely released the footage.[13] [14] [15]

Following these trailers, the state of Beyond Good and Evil 2 was unclear, with conflicting statements made by both Ubisoft and Ancel. While both reported several times that the game was still in development, rumors circulated that Ubisoft had put the game on hold,[16] [17] [18] [19] that Ubisoft had yet to officially announce the title and thus production was not officially started,[20] [21] [22] and that Ancel had left Ubisoft Montpellier.[23] [24] By 2016, Ancel confirmed that they had put Beyond Good and Evil 2 on hold to focus on Rayman Legends (2013), which enabled them to develop tools that would help with the production of the former; once Rayman Legends was completed, they returned to Beyond Good & Evil 2.[25] [26] Ubisoft later noted Ancel's time was split between Beyond Good and Evil 2 and Wild, a title developed by Ancel's independent Wild Sheep Studios.[27]

In September 2016, Ancel posted concept art on his Instagram account showing what appeared to be a younger Pey'j, hinting that Beyond Good and Evil 2 may be a prequel. The following month, Ubisoft officially announced that the game was in development at Ubisoft Montpellier.[28] [29] [30]

2017–2019: Formal announcement

On June 12, 2017, Ubisoft premiered a trailer for Beyond Good and Evil 2 during their E3 conference.[31] Additionally, the "Space Monkey Program" was announced in collaboration with HitRecord, allowing fans to “create art and music that will be integrated directly in the game”. It received criticism over concerns of unpaid labor.[32]

A core element of the game is the ability to explore several different planets via space travel. To power this, Ubisoft Montpellier started building a solar system simulation tool about three years prior to the E3 2017 reveal to be used in the game's own engine called Voyager. This tool uses a combination of designed elements and procedural generation to assemble those elements for a given planet. The development team completed the preliminary work on the tool right before E3, allowing them to start building the rest of the game around it; at that point, Ancel considered that they were only at "day zero" of the game's development.

Ancel commented that the 2008 and 2009 trailers were from initial work as a narrative sequel to Beyond Good & Evil, but during development they opted to change direction and make it a prequel, and thus the work previously shown was from an effectively different game.[33] At E3 2018, a new cinematic trailer for the game was unveiled, accompanied by an exclusive presentation held behind closed doors. This event was attended by game journalists and reportedly featured the game's key developers playing a live demo in co-op mode.[34] In December 2018, Ubisoft announced that the game would require an internet connection to play at all times.

The game's target platforms have not yet been announced. There had been rumors circulating in 2016 that it would have been released as a timed exclusive for the Nintendo Switch,[35] but Ancel refuted these claims. The "Space Monkey Program" lists Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, however Michel Ancel stated that the platforms have not been announced yet, and that the listing was due to a bug.[36] [37] Ancel later told Kotaku that the game is designed to run on many platforms.[38]

2020s: Departure of Ancel and death of Morel

In September 2020, Michel Ancel, the game's then-director, announced his departure from Ubisoft. While the project's new director has not been publicly announced, he stated that both Beyond Good and Evil 2 and Wild were "in capable hands".[39] The French newspaper Libération, which had been following Ubisoft's problems with a series of sexual misconduct allegations against many high-level members of the company, learned that members of Ancel's team found his leadership on the project to be unorganized and at times abusive, causing the game's development to have many restarts. The Montpellier team had reported these concerns to leadership at Ubisoft as early as 2017, but the director's close relationship with Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft's CEO, prevented any major action from occurring until the 2020 internal evaluations that led to Ancel's departure.[40] The company stated that Ancel "hasn't been directly involved in BG&E2 for some time now" when he left the company.[41]

In July 2021, Ubisoft stated in a financial report that development was "progressing well", but did not answer a question regarding its release date.[42] Bloomberg later reported in February 2022, that according to developers working on the game, Beyond Good and Evil 2 was still in pre-production at that time.[43] That same year, the game broke the record held by Duke Nukem Forever (2011) for the longest development for a video game, at more than 15 years.[44] In July 2023, the game's creative director, Emile Morel, died suddenly at the age of 40.[45] Fawzi Mesmar has been appointed as the new creative director for Beyond Good & Evil 2 after the passing of Morel. With over 20 years of experience, Mesmar aims to push the project forward, though the game remains delayed with no release date yet.

Ahead of the release of Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition in June 2024, Ubisoft claimed that Beyond Good and Evil 2 was still in development. Among the added content in the remaster were new narrative elements designed to link the original game to the sequel.[32]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Schreier . Jason . Jason Schreier . 24 December 2018 . What's The Next Great Vaporware Game? . 24 August 2021 . . August 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210824091314/https://kotaku.com/whats-the-next-great-vaporware-game-1831300622 . live .
  2. Web site: Bailey . Kat . 2024-10-23 . Beyond Good & Evil 2 Gets New Creative Director as Veteran Designer Fawzi Mesmar Takes the Reins of Long-Delayed Sequel . 2024-10-24 . IGN . en.
  3. Web site: Matulef . Jeffrey . 15 July 2017 . Beyond Good & Evil 2 lets you create your own character . . Gamer Network . August 19, 2018 . June 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180613040846/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-06-15-beyond-good-and-evil-2-lets-you-create-your-own-character . live .
  4. Web site: Palumbo . Alessio . 23 December 2018 . Beyond Good and Evil 2 Confirmed to Require an Internet Connection . 24 December 2018 . Wccftech . December 24, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181224202758/https://wccftech.com/beyond-good-and-evil-2-requires-internet/ . live .
  5. Web site: Palumbo . Alessio . 12 June 2017 . Beyond Good and Evil 2 Revealed at Ubisoft's E3 2017 as Multiplayer Sci-fi Space Opera . 8 April 2019 . Wccftech . April 8, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190408153532/https://wccftech.com/beyond-good-and-evil-2-revealed/ . live .
  6. Web site: Percevault . Vincent . 2008-05-29 . Christophe Heral confirmed to compose BGE2 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080603141724/http://www.soundakt.com/news.php?selection=518 . 2008-06-03 . 2008-06-01 . Soundakt.
  7. Meer . Alec . 2008-05-15 . Beyond Beyond Good & Evil . . 2009-11-08.
  8. Web site: Bramwell . Tom . 2005-08-23 . It would be 'good to finish' BG&E - Michel Ancel . 2008-05-30 . . Gamer Network . September 29, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120929090537/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news230805bgne . dead .
  9. Web site: rawmeatcowboy . 2007-11-03 . Michel Ancel - next project is still a secret, Rayman platformer sequel possibility, and Jade talk . 2007-11-03 . GoNintendo . February 13, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120213235806/http://gonintendo.com/?p=28652 . live .
  10. Web site: Boyes . Emma . 2008-05-15 . Report: Beyond Good & Evil 2 on the way . 2008-05-28 . . . April 17, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120417191334/http://www.gamespot.com/news/report-beyond-good-and-evil-2-on-the-way-6190987 . live .
  11. Web site: Sinclair . Brendan . 2008-05-28 . Beyond Good & Evil returns . 2008-05-28 . . . June 1, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120601040937/http://www.gamespot.com/news/beyond-good-and-evil-returns-6191556 . live .
  12. Web site: Wales . Matt . 2008-05-28 . Ubisoft Announces Beyond Good & Evil Follow-up . 2008-05-30 . . . December 6, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091206005610/http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/877/877261p1.html . live .
  13. Web site: Fahey . Mike . 2009-05-08 . Is This New Beyond Good & Evil 2 Footage? . 2009-05-09 . . . June 23, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170623004812/http://kotaku.com/5246177/is-this-new-beyond-good--evil-2-footage . live .
  14. James Brightman . Interview: Ubisoft's Detoc on Turning 'Gamers' into 'Players' . Interview: Transcript . 2009-07-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090726083726/http://www.industrygamers.com/news/interview-ubisofts-detoc-on-turning-gamers-into-players . 2009-07-26 . dead . Industrygamers . 2009-07-22 . Laurent Detoc.
  15. Web site: 2011-06-07 . Rayman Origins Video - E3 2011: History of Rayman Interview . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111124042202/http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-rayman-origins/715164 . 2011-11-24 . 2014-06-02 . . Ziff Davis.
  16. Web site: 2009-08-24 . Beyond Good & Evil 2 is on hold . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20090827103654/http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/beyond-good-and-evil-2-officially-on-hold-$1320917.htm . 2009-08-27 . 2009-08-24 . Gamezine.
  17. Web site: 2009-08-28 . Ubisoft - Beyond Good and Evil 2 continuing on . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090830013210/http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=94747 . 2009-08-30 . 2009-08-28 . GoNintendo.
  18. Web site: Chièze . Julien . 2009-11-06 . EXCLU : Quel avenir pour Beyond Good & Evil 2 ? . What the future holds for Beyond Good and Evil 2? . 2009-11-29 . Gameblog.fr . fr . November 6, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111106063511/http://www.gameblog.fr/news_12128_exclu-quel-avenir-pour-beyond-good-evil-2 . live .
  19. Web site: Reilly . Jim . 2010-01-14 . Beyond Good & Evil 2 Still In Development . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100117033042/http://pc.ign.com/articles/106/1061383p1.html . January 17, 2010 . 2010-06-08 . . Ziff Davis.
  20. Web site: Crecente . Brian . 2010-08-19 . Beyond Good & Evil 2 Must Be Perfect . https://web.archive.org/web/20100821113143/http://kotaku.com/5616870/ubisoft-beyond-good--evil-2-must-be-perfect . 2010-08-21 . 2010-08-19 . . Gizmodo Media Group.
  21. Web site: Phillips . Tom . 8 May 2012 . Beyond Good & Evil 2 in "active creation" . 2012-09-19 . . Gamer Network . June 18, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170618184753/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-05-08-beyond-good-and-evil-2-in-active-creation . live .
  22. Web site: Matulef . Jeffrey . 31 July 2014 . Michel Ancel starts new studio, but remains at Ubisoft, who confirms that he's working on Beyond Good & Evil 2 . . Gamer Network . August 2, 2014 . June 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170628191246/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-31-michel-ancel-starts-new-studio-but-remains-at-ubisoft-part-time . live .
  23. Web site: Grayson . Nathan . 2010-05-28 . Rumor: Michel Ancel leaves Ubisoft Montpellier, Beyond Good & Evil 2's future in doubt. . 2010-05-29 . . May 27, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130527194952/http://www.vg247.com/2010/05/28/rumor-michel-ancel-leaves-ubisoft-beyond-good-evil-2s-future-in-doubt/ . live .
  24. Web site: Chièze . Julien . 2010-05-28 . Michel Ancel quitterait Ubisoft? C'est faux! . Michel Ancel left Ubisoft? False! . 2010-05-29 . Gameblog.fr . fr . October 3, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111003125722/http://www.gameblog.fr/news_15707_michel-ancel-quitterait-ubisoft-c-est-faux . live .
  25. Web site: Paget . Mat . 19 October 2016 . Why Beyond Good & Evil 2 Has Taken So Long . 19 October 2016 . . . October 22, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161022151813/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-beyond-good-and-evil-2-has-taken-so-long/1100-6444617/ . live .
  26. Web site: Benson . Julian . 24 November 2016 . Michel Ancel on Beyond Good & Evil 2 and the Future of Ubisoft . 24 November 2016 . . . November 25, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161125052346/http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2016/11/24/michel-ancel-on-beyond-good-evil-2-and-the-future-of-ubisoft . live .
  27. Web site: Paget . Mat . 13 June 2016 . E3 2016: Beyond Good & Evil 2 Is Still Being Worked On by Original Creator . 13 June 2016 . . . June 16, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160616162514/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-good-and-evil-2-is-still-being-worked-on-by/1100-6440841/ . live .
  28. Web site: Skrebels . Joe . 27 September 2016 . Michel Ancel Seemingly Teasing Beyond Good & Evil 2 . 27 September 2016 . . . September 27, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160927132715/http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/09/27/michel-ancel-seemingly-teasing-beyond-good-evil-2 . live .
  29. Web site: Dornbrush . Jonathan . 4 October 2016 . Beyond Good & Evil Creator Hints New Game is in 'Pre-Production' . 4 October 2016 . . . October 5, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161005072906/http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/10/04/beyond-good-evil-creator-hints-new-game-is-in-pre-production . live .
  30. Web site: Hussain . Tamoor . 6 October 2016 . Beyond Good & Evil 2 is Officially in Development . 6 October 2016 . . . October 9, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161009123745/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-good-and-evil-2-is-officially-in-developmen/1100-6444242/ . live .
  31. Web site: Hussain . Tamoor . Knezevic . Kevin . 12 June 2017 . E3 2017: Beyond Good & Evil 2 Trailer Finally Shown . 12 June 2017 . . . August 11, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230811190224/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2017-beyond-good-and-evil-2-trailer-makes-surpr/1100-6450825/ . live .
  32. Web site: What’s up with Beyond Good and Evil 2? . Michael . McWhertor . July 6, 2024 . July 6, 2024 . .
  33. Web site: Webster . Andrew . 14 June 2017 . Beyond Good & Evil 2 is wildly ambitious, but it's still at 'day zero' of development . 14 June 2017 . . . June 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170615031743/https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/14/15801280/beyond-good-evil-2-preview-michel-ancel-interview-e3-2017 . live .
  34. Web site: E3 2018: Beyond Good & Evil 2's Gameplay Explained . 2024-03-29 . GameSpot . en-US.
  35. Web site: Kate Date . Laura . 3 March 2016 . Rumor: Nintendo funding Beyond Good and Evil sequel . 3 March 2016 . . March 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094843/http://www.destructoid.com/rumor-nintendo-funding-beyond-good-and-evil-sequel-346059.phtml . live .
  36. Web site: Arif . Shabana . 14 June 2017 . Beyond Good and Evil 2 Switch timed-exclusive rumors squashed, platforms confirmed by Space Monkey Program . 14 June 2017 . . June 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170614220539/http://www.vg247.com/2017/06/14/beyond-good-and-evil-2-switch-timed-exclusive-rumours-squashed-platforms-confirmed-by-space-monkey-program/ . live .
  37. News: Sickr . 14 June 2017 . Michel Ancel: Platforms For Beyond Good & Evil 2 Haven't Been Announced And Survey A Bit Buggy . My Nintendo News . Excite Global Media . June 14, 2017 . August 16, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170816185539/https://mynintendonews.com/2017/06/14/michel-ancel-platforms-for-beyond-good-evil-2-havent-been-announced-and-survey-a-bit-buggy/ . live .
  38. News: Totilo . Stephen . 14 June 2017 . What Beyond Good & Evil 2 Is Now, And What Its Creators Dream It Can Be . . . June 15, 2017 . June 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170628065638/http://kotaku.com/what-beyond-good-evil-2-is-now-and-what-its-creators-1796116469 . live .
  39. Web site: Phillips . Tom . September 18, 2020 . Rayman creator Michel Ancel quits video games to work on wildlife sanctuary . September 19, 2020 . . September 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919081232/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-09-18-rayman-creator-michel-ancel-quits-video-games-industry-to-work-on-wildlife-sanctuary . live .
  40. Web site: Olson . Mathew . September 25, 2020 . Report: Michel Ancel Accused of Abusive, Disruptive Practices on Beyond Good & Evil 2 . September 25, 2020 . . November 21, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201121154933/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/report-michel-ancel-beyond-good-and-evil-2-abuse-mismanagement-liberation . live .
  41. Web site: Chalk . Andy . 18 September 2020 . Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel quits videogames to work in an animal sanctuary . . August 21, 2021 . June 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220611150430/https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/beyond-good-and-evil-creator-michel-ancel-quits-videogames-to-work-in-an-animal-sanctuary/ . live .
  42. Web site: Gerblick . Jordan . 20 July 2021 . Ubisoft confirms Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still in development . . December 1, 2021 . December 1, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211201150639/https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/ubisoft-confirms-beyond-good-and-evil-2-still-in-development/ . live .
  43. Web site: Ubisoft Plans New Assassin’s Creed Game to Help Fill Its Schedule . Jason . Schreier . February 9, 2022 . October 22, 2024 . .
  44. News: Wolens . Joshua . October 3, 2022 . Beyond Good and Evil 2 has broken Duke Nukem Forevers record for longest game development time . en . . October 4, 2022 . October 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221004183755/https://www.pcgamer.com/beyond-good-and-evil-2-has-broken-duke-nukem-forevers-record-for-longest-game-development-time/ . live .
  45. Web site: Taylor . Lyles . 2023-07-05 . Emile Morel, Beyond Good and Evil 2 Creative Director, Dies Suddenly at 40 . 2023-07-08 . IGN . en . July 8, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230708080118/https://www.ign.com/articles/emile-morel-beyond-good-and-evil-2-creative-director-dies-suddenly-at-40 . live .

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