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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.
'Beyond Good and Evil 2' won't be at E3
The highly anticipated Beyond Good and Evil 2 won't be making an appearance at E3 this year, but fans will get more information about the game's status before the major gaming conference. Ubisoft announced today that it will be holding a livestream to provide an update on the game's development on June 5th at 12PM ET/9AM PT.
Beyond Good & Evil creator working on an 'extremely ambitious' sequel
Lest you were afraid that Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel forming a new studio would mean the death of all hope of ever seeing Beyond Good & Evil 2, fear no more: Ubisoft has confirmed to IGN that Ancel is heading development of a sequel to 2003's critically-loved-but-commercially-underwhelming game about a photojournalist with a bo staff and her anthropomorphic pig uncle. "It's still far too early to give many details about this new title, but what we can say is that while Michel and the team at Ubisoft Montpellier are working with the core tenets of BG&E, they're developing something that aspires to push past the boundaries of a proverbial sequel and leverages next-gen technologies to deliver a truly surprising, innovative and exceptional game," Ubisoft told IGN. "The entire team is excited about the direction this extremely ambitious project is taking, and we'll have more to share later, as it progresses." A sequel to Beyond Good & Evil has been on the minds of fans for a long time. A long time. Like, "the first teaser was revealed in 2008" long. More recently, Ancel shared concept art of heroine Jade wearing a sleek, samurai-influenced outfit that looks pretty darn close to what we saw in leaked game footage. Still, things have been relatively quiet, and six years is a long time to wait; we don't blame you if your heart has been hardened and you no longer believe. Still, Ancel said in 2011 that the scope of BG&E2 would require next-generation consoles and well ... we've got those now. Maybe cross your fingers one last time? Hey, it worked for Mirror's Edge. [Image: Ubisoft]
Watch Ubisoft's E3 2014 press conference stream here [Update: It's over!]
Bonjour, everyone! Ubisoft's E3 2014 press conference is happening at 3:00 p.m. PT (6:00 p.m. ET) today, and we expect plenty of tasty tidbits and news from the French developer/publisher. In fact, we'll be voicing said expectations, as well as analysis and commentary via our liveblog, so feel free to garnish this stream with a dash of Joystiq personality and pop open a tab next to this one. The Los Angeles Staples Convention Center is plastered with a giant Assassin's Creed: Unity poster, but we also expect to hear more about the recently-announced Far Cry 4 too. Ubisoft has featured surprise announcements the past two years as well - Watch Dogs in 2012 and The Division in 2013. Could we have another big surprise this year? If you close your eyes and wish hard enough, Beyond Good & Evil 2 could still happen! Update: Ubisoft's conference may be over, but you can re-live its many announcements in old-fashioned text form. [Image: Ubisoft]
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%
Beyond Good & Evil 2 concept art spied in presentation, leaked footage authenticated
Early footage of Beyond Good & Evil 2 leaked out of Ubisoft's porous, Parisian vaults over two years ago, in May of 2009. That was roughly one year after the much-anticipated sequel was announced ... and promptly forgotten again. And now, some three-and-a-half years after that announcement, we've got the first official look at the game and, what do ya know, it's the very same footage from 2009! During an on-stage presentation at the Montpellier in Game 2011 conference, series creator Michel Ancel discussed the setting for the game, showed some concept art (conveniently screengrabbed at NeoGAF) and at the end, shared the same footage that you saw forever ago, in internet years. At this rate, we'd think the proposed Xbox 720 / PS4 debut would be an aggressive timetable. What's 360 times three?
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.
