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Ubisoft plans to show 'Beyond Good & Evil 2' gameplay next year
'BG&E' creator Michel Ancel has quit the company to work at a wildlife sanctuary.
The ambition of 'Beyond Good and Evil 2' might exceed the hype
We've waited a long time for the sequel to Beyond Good and Evil. And you know what? They actually went and did it. Arguably the biggest surprise of E3 2017 was a minute-long trailer teasing a game that barely resembles the 2003 original. But even the anticipated return of the cult hit might not match the vision that director Michel Ancel and his team have for Beyond Good and Evil 2. Ancel himself explains the return of the quirky game -- and we have a ton of concept artwork to keep the hype going. Ubisoft has big plans -- literally.
Take a good look at the leading lady of Beyond Good & Evil 2 [update]
Update: Ubisoft claims the art is an early concept of Jade, pre-dating Beyond Good and Evil. Whether or not she'll appear that way in Beyond Good and Evil 2 is unknown, but this tease suggests a return of that old, graceful appearance (which matches leaked screenshots). The article below has been updated to reflect the image's origin. Original: While Beyond Good & Evil 2 remains in the same nebulous development limbo it has called home for the last half-decade, creator Michel Ancel recently offered fans a look at a design for series protagonist, Jade, seemingly as she will appear in the game. Below the break you'll find footage of a recent Q&A session broadcast via YouTube. At the 2:05 mark, Ancel unexpectedly produces a glossy poster offering a very clear look at Jade's conceptual aesthetic. While Jade maintains the laid-back, almost "grunge" style of her debut in the original Beyond Good & Evil, there are definite differences in the character's design. This version of Jade has almost samurai-esque elements, combined with the kind of DIY aesthetic you'd expect from a hero living a hardscrabble life in an unfriendly world. Unfortunately, Ancel offered no information on when we can expect Beyond Good & Evil 2 to reach store shelves, so we'll all go back to waiting patiently - at least until the next tiny nugget of information reminds us all how long we've been waiting for this sequel. [Image: Ubisoft]
Beyond Good & Evil 2 put on the back burner to let Rayman boil over
It's time for the yearly confirmation that, yes, Ubisoft is still working on Beyond Good & Evil 2. The sequel first surfaced in 2008, and since then Ubisoft has treated it like an obnoxious stepchild, providing vague updates on development, and usually only when a rumor forces a statement.Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot tells Polygon that the team, headed by Michel Ancel, is still passionate about Beyond Good & Evil 2, but other games, such as Rayman Legends, have slowed its development."What's very important is that Michel Ancel is kind of doing too many things at the same time," Guillemot says. "He was working on Rayman Origins last year, and he's working a lot on Rayman Legends this year. So, you know, when he does that, he kind of puts too much of his time on the other projects that he has. So the fact is that working on Legends is slowing the process on Beyond Good & Evil 2."Rayman Legends was recently delayed to Q1 2013 on the Wii U. Perhaps once Legends launches, Ancel and Ubisoft will get to work, for real, on Beyond Good and & Evil 2. And maybe they'll even tell someone about it.
Rumor: Beyond Good & Evil 2 leaked screens are fishy
One leaked screenshot of Beyond Good & Evil 2 isn't cool. Do you know what's cool? Try three leaked pictures of the fabled Ubisoft game, found by All Games Beta.Our rumor gauge is at an appropriate level for this one, especially since Jade is standing unusually close to fresh fish in one of the pictures. Check out the gallery below!%Gallery-155760%
Rumored Beyond Good & Evil 2 screen has Jade looking awfully lonely
Where's a Starkos machine when you need one?%Gallery-155168%
Scope of Beyond Good & Evil 2 requires next-gen consoles
We already had a pretty clear notion that Beyond Good & Evil 2 was destined for the next generation of consoles, and now Michel Ancel has shed some light on the issue. Speaking to GamesRadar, Ancel stated that the scope of the first Beyond Good & Evil was "large" – including "the city, the ocean, the moon and the space ship" – but it was originally intended to be much larger. The space ship, said Ancel, was originally intended to travel to distant planets, but the limitations of PS2 era consoles hindered the game's vision. "My thing is that we really want to make the game that was previously imagined, with all this feeling of traveling," said Ancel, citing Mass Effect as a good example of the concept. The development team at Ubisoft hopes to "continue in that direction, with storytelling and a massive world," so much so that, apparently, current generation consoles just won't cut it. Check out the full interview for more on the original Beyond Good & Evil, Rayman Origins and Ancel's development philosophy.
Michel Ancel on Beyond Good & Evil 2: I'm waiting for it as much as you are
Is Beyond Good & Evil 2 still alive? Yes. Will you still be alive when it comes out? Well, that's a question we posed to project lead Michel Ancel, whose attention is currently focused on his vibrant 2D platformer, Rayman: Origins. "Before Rayman we were working on Beyond Good & Evil 2," he said during an E3 meeting. "And the project is still on the tracks. I'd love to come back to it." Ancel describes the game as an ambitious, conceptually amorphous undertaking, still being prototyped and still looking for a home. "It's a question of making all those things able to fit the constraints of the consoles," he said. "But with this kind of game, we can do prototypes on very high-end PCs and we can really try to play in the kind of future-console style hardware. So, it's just a question of saying, 'Okay, do we cut everything and rebuild to these consoles, or do we try to move forward?'" Does that mean the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are out? "I can't say totally no," Ancel said, "but the questions are still open." The small team crafting Beyond Good and Evil 2 is wary of downscaling its vision, making it essential "to have the game on the best platform, to make [the concepts] fit." And while that happens, for who-knows-how-long, fans can take advantage of the game industry's diversity."The good thing is we are not the only one making games, so they can play a lot of other games," Ancel joked. "The main thing, I would say, is that I'm waiting for that game as much as they are waiting for it. So that's pushing me to finish it."
Ubisoft's canceled projects were unannounced, not I Am Alive nor BG&E 2
As hard as it may be to still believe that Ubisoft's long-ago announced and rarely heard from projects Beyond Good & Evil 2 (May 2008) and I Am Alive (July 2008) are still in the works, Ubisoft continues to insist they haven't been canceled. After the publisher noted the (rather costly) "termination of certain projects" in its fiscal year earnings report yesterday, Eurogamer followed up with Ubisoft to find out whether the two aforementioned titles were among the canned games. "Terminated projects were unannounced projects," a representative told the site, implying that BG&E 2 and I Am Alive are still in production. "We have nothing new to report on those two titles for the moment," the rep added. We can't say that Ubisoft proper has ever had anything to report on BG&E 2 -- we last heard from creator Michel Ancel in June 2010 that a small team was plugging away on it. As for I Am Alive, it was once set to launch in Ubisoft's fiscal 2011–12 release window (April 2011 – March 2012). So, uh, any day now!
Beyond Good & Evil HD preview: There is power in numbers (Carlson and Peeters, chapter 21)
In November of 2003, a much younger Ubisoft was launching two high-profile (and excellent!) titles: the Montreal-developed reboot of the Prince of Persia series, subtitled "Sands of Time," and the Montpellier-developed Beyond Good & Evil, the supposed first installment in creator Michel Ancel's planned trilogy. By now, you know how this story goes. The Prince of Persia reboot – fueled by Ubisoft's curiously siloed marketing muscle – was a massive success and spawned two immediate sequels, a 2008 reboot, a 2010 feature film and associated tie-in game. The remainder of the Beyond Good & Evil trilogy? Despite a sequel being announced five years later at Ubisoft's Ubidays event in 2008, the company has subsequently ignored, mismanaged, or forgotten that promise. But now, seven years after both games made their way to retail, we're being treated to HD rereleases and, while Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was released on PS3 as a lazy up-rezzed port (even retaining major bugs from its original release!), Beyond Good & Evil appears to be benefitting from a degree of care (and marketing) it was never afforded in 2003. Talk about karma. %Gallery-112902%
Ancel working with small team on Beyond Good & Evil 2
Earlier this month, Ubisoft assured fans that Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel was still with the company, and still toiling away at the sequel to the beloved action adventure game. Ancel himself emerged at the Montpellier in Game conference, detailing the development a bit. Ancel told attendees that he's working on a 3D version of the toolkit being used to make Rayman Origins. "It takes a bit longer," he said, "but we're very keen to use this system with this game, because it's an ambitious game and we want to create something exceptional." Another factor that is stretching out development time: "On this game, we're keeping the team small," he said, "to preserve creativity and so the game doesn't become a commercial product, so that it has soul." This also has the added benefit of keeping the budget low, limiting the chance that Ubisoft will cancel it. Unfortunately, it also limits the chance that Ubisoft execs will know it exists. %Gallery-23890%
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?
Gamersyde told Beyond Good and Evil 2 is 'on hold' - Ubisoft won't comment
Bad news for you Jade and Uncle Pey'J fans out there: Gamersyde was apparently told last week at GamesCom that Beyond Good and Evil 2 is currently in the freezer with no thaw date. Staff writer Colin Solal Cardo tweeted that he received "confirmation" from Ubisoft that the title was "on hold for now." Joystiq's attempts to receive comment from Ubisoft have been met by either silence or a statement that the company will not comment on "rumors and speculation." Well, if no one at Ubisoft told Mr. Cardo that the game was "on hold for now" then why not say as much? Ubisoft's noncommittal aloofness doesn't end there: a couple months ago the company's North American president didn't seem to recognize a sequel was in production; Ubisoft has yet to simply confirm active production of the game it chose to close out its Ubidays 2008 event with. So, Ubisoft gets fans riled up and now won't even offer a simple update on the status of the game's development. Classy!
Ubisoft NA prez missed memo that Beyond Good & Evil 2 is totally confirmed
Ubisoft North America president Laurent Detoc admits that the publisher is "working on some some Beyond Good and Evil stuff," but tells IndustryGamers that the decision on "whether there's going to be a new game or not" is "something for the future." Wait a second. Shouldn't that have been "something from the past" ... ? Series creator Michel Ancel has flat-out talked about the sequel and some of his plans for it. More importantly, Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot himself debuted the game to the world's gaming press at last year's international Ubidays event -- which was also streamed live worldwide via the web, no less. (Oh, and Guillemot also spoke more about it later, as well.) Mr. Detoc, if you're reading this, here's a handy link you can click before your next interview -- which is almost certain to include more questions about Beyond Good & Evil 2 (a.k.a. that game your company is so making). %Gallery-23890%
Beyond Good & Evil 2 likely skipping E3
According to UGO, it looks like Beyond Good & Evil 2: Pey'j and Jade's Bogus Journey (working title*) will not be appearing at E3. When booking E3 appointments, UGO was told by Ubisoft, "We're not doing any BG&E stuff at E3." Furthermore, Ubisoft even said not to expect a showing of the game during its press conference. So, there you go, don't expect any BG&E 2 news or hands-on sessions. Rest assured though, if we hear anything different when we touch down in LA, we'll be clawing our way to the front of the line for a chance to play. Not because we're dying to play it. No, we'll do it for you. [Via VG247] *By "working title" we mean "completely fabricated title."
Rumor: Beyond Good & Evil 2 footage leaked and lovely
Video of what appears to be Beyond Good & Evil 2 gameplay (or a target rendering of such) has made its way online via Kotaku. The one minute clip depicts a character who either is -- or looks incredibly like -- series heroine Jade escaping pursuers in a crowded marketplace using parkour moves a la Mirror's Edge's Faith. Of course, this could very well be an elaborate -- and well-executed -- fan project and the character might not be Jade at all, but she certainly appears to reflect the updated character design seen in the all-too-short teaser for the game Ubisoft released last year. Oh, and Maybe-Jade, is that a sword on your back? Perhaps someone in France -- Ubisoft's home turf, and where the site Kotaku says the video originated is located -- just had to slip this out oh-so-very-close to E3. If it is BG&E 2 and is actual gameplay, then wow. If someone's toying with our emotions? Totally. Not. Funny.
Ancel says 9/11 influenced Beyond Good & Evil
Thanks to the fine French-speaking folks at Eurogamer France, Eurogamer has a more thorough translation of Michel Ancel's interview regarding his upcoming game for Ubisoft, Beyond Good & Evil 2. According to their translation, Ancel reveals inspiration in "the theme of September 11 - the CNN show with army messages and the fear climate," among other, totally different things, like Hayao Miyazaki for instance. He also revealed that this sequel will be a direct continuation of the story from the original BG&E, saying, "The story continues and we'll react on important events of the first." We've still got no good information on platforms or release date but hopefully the upcoming re-embiggened E3 Expo will shed some light on the game. "Players who like the first should like the second," Ancel left the interviewer with. We're keeping hope alive. [Via GamePolitics] %Gallery-23890%
Beyond Good & Evil 2 to be bigger, better ... more badass?
Developer Michel Ancel allegedly told All-Gamers.fr that Beyond Good & Evil 2 would "be bigger, more immersive and include more investigations," directly challenging Cliffy B Young Clifford for the "Greatest Self-Promoter" award. In a video interview conducted last week, Ancel (again, allegedly -- all this stuff's in French!) talked about the current development process for BG&E2 (still in pre-production), the return of the first game's characters ("lots" will be returning), and the problems his development team had with the first game (PS2 "didn't live up to their expectations"). Confirming what we've heard before about the sequel, Ancel also apparently notes that the gameplay will be different this time around, as the team's looking for ways to distinguish it from the original. Though he didn't go into more detail (at least, as far as we know) regarding controls, we can't help but worry after what Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said last year. Interestingly, during the interview, the developer remained cagey regarding the possibility of a Wii version, though he apparently didn't deny the possibility of a port in the future. French-speaking Joystiq readers should feel free to confirm or deny Mr. Ancel's interview statements in the comment section below. %Gallery-23890% [Via Gamezine.co.uk. Thanks, Mr. V!]
Ubisoft programmer lists 'Rabbids Go Home' on (raving) resume
Back in October, a trademark appeared in the US trademark database for a piece of "game software" called Rabbids Go Home. According to the résumé of programmer Julien Delezenne, it's -- surprise! -- a Wii game from Ubisoft. Apparently, it's also still in the works, at least as of whenever this document was compiled: Delezenne has been working on it from "November 2007 - Present." Delezenne describes his duties on the title as relating to the "Engine and Tools on the LyN technology ... " Now here's where it gets a bit interesting. He said that he works on that technology "for Rabbids Go Home (Wii) and Beyond Good & Evil 2 (360/PS3)." Shared technology between a super-silly Wii minigame sequel and the high-profile 360/PS3 adventure title? It's promising for the state of Ubisoft's budgets, but also kind of hilarious.
