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Ubisoft: Michel Ancel still with the company, Beyond Good & Evil 2 still in development
A rumor popped up on French site wootgaming last week stating that Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel had left Ubisoft, and work had ceased on Beyond Good & Evil 2. It wasn't that hard to believe, given Ubisoft's attitude toward the game -- which seems to range from nonchalance to outright denial of its existence. According to a terse statement to Eurogamer from Ubisoft, Ancel is still at Ubisoft, and Beyond Good & Evil 2 development continues at its glacial pace. "There are no changes on the horizon," an Ubisoft rep said. Eurogamer then asked if the statement referred specifically to Ancel still being at Ubisoft, and BG&E2's development continuing -- to which the rep responded, simply, "Yes." Apparently, even PR doesn't want to spend too much time talking about BG&E2.
Ubisoft maintains Beyond Good & Evil 2 still in production [update]
Update: Ubisoft confirmed to G4TV that the translation was accurate and "Yes, Beyond Good & Evil 2 and I Am Alive are both still in development." Guess that answers that! Because it will make the vagueness of today's rumor even more hilarious for you, we're going to walk you through the incredible history of Beyond Good & Evil 2 real quick: May 2008: Ubisoft announces Beyond Good & Evil 2, with a trailer and everything, though not specifically naming it as such. July 2009: Ubisoft North America's president Laurent Detoc says that while BG&E stuff is being worked on, it doesn't necessarily mean another game is on the way. August 2009: Gamersyde says it's on hold, and Ubisoft won't comment one way or another. And now, here we are in January of 2010. As spotted by VG247, Gamekult asked Ubisoft France boss Geoffroy Sardin about I Am Alive and BG&E 2 and was told, "Ils sont toujours en production tous les deux"; directly translated, "They're both always/still in production." Alright, so which do you prefer: canceled and dead forever or always in production?
Red Steel developer's blog goes live
While a little late in its development cycle, the team behind Red Steel opened a blog yesterday to discuss the game's progress as it reaches its final stages. The first topic: the much-discussed control scheme. Producer Marie-Sol Beaudry wants players to have fun and not "force people to become actual professional swordsmen" (it's good thing, too -- professional swordsmen make very little money these days). The matter of synchronization between the Wiimote and sword animation apparently proved tricky. Beaudry promises that the final sword-fighting will be more diverse and feature a couple of undisclosed special moves. One of the early comments suggested an option for players to have the option of switching between scripted moves and freestyle animation. It is a great idea, but we get the impression Ubisoft is not prepared to go in that direction for this title. Maybe another game, from a galaxy far, far away, can quench our thirst. O, to dream ...
