It seems Beyond Good and Evil 2 can’t escape development hell
As the years go on, it feels like we might never get 'beyond' Beyond Good & Evil, with the sequel to Ubisoft's 2003 spacefaring adventure seemingly lost in space. Beyond Good and Evil 2 was officially announced in 2016, but as those close to the project will know, work started as early as 2007.
No one is quite sure whether Beyond Good and Evil 2 is a prequel, a sequel, or something completely new, but this is far from Beyond Good and Evil 2's only problem. Ubisoft has repeatedly assured us it's 100% working on the game, but as E3 is swallowed by the Earth and other gaming showcases fail to give us an update, we're more than a little concerned.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 could be stuck in development hell
Insider Tom Henderson took to social media to dispel some of the rumours after X user @aidenppearce asked Forbes' Paul Tassi, "And when will they cancel Beyond Good & Evil 2?" Henderson waded into the conversation and painted a grim picture when he admitted, "It does but it's very complicated."
Given that Tassi himself questions whether the game even exists, it's not exactly a glowing review of our confidence in Ubisoft to deliver the long-mooted project. Ubisoft has spoken a LOT about the state of the project over the years, and while hype was through the roof when the first trailer hit in 2008, even us die-hards are losing interest.
Original Game Director Michel Ancel left Ubisoft in 2020 and promised that both Beyond Good and Evil 2 and Wild were in safe hands, although many consider the latter vaporware. There was also the tragedy of new Game Director Emile Morel dying suddenly in 2023, however, Ubisoft insists another outing is coming.
The Skull & Bones situation
Click to enlargeUbisoft has had its fair share of controversy recently, and although it's just Announced Assassin's Creed Shadows, it's quietly buried the cancellation of Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland. There was also the whole Skull & Bones debacle, which was another game we never thought would see the light of day.
By the time Skull & Bones eventually set sail, there were reports that it was only due to obligations to the Singapore government. Beyond Good and Evil 2 doesn't have the same obligations, and while we'd love to imagine we'll be able to play one day, this is one of the messiest situations we've come across.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 also won't be helped by sitting alongside Skull & Bones as a supposed AAAA game, which feels like an albatross around its neck. In 2022, Beyond Good and Evil 2 broke Duke Nukem Forever's record for the longest development period of a AAA game, and to be honest, that's not a badge of honour we'd be particularly proud of.
