Vapourware Beyond Good & Evil 2

[fantadomat]

LoL so the game was made by a degenerate furry that wants to fuck wild life now.....

 

[Ivan]

Rayman Origins is top 3 platformer of all time.

 

[Infinitron]

https://kotaku.com/report-beyond-good-evil-2-director-michel-ancel-left-1845184216

Report: Beyond Good & Evil 2 Director Michel Ancel Left Ubisoft Amid Investigation Into Complaints Of Toxic Leadership

Rayman creator, Beyond Good and Evil 2 director, and longtime Ubisoft veteran Michel Ancel retired from the video game publisher earlier this month while being investigated for toxic behavior, according to a new report by the French newspaper Libération.

Ancel, who had been at the company for over 30 years, announced last Friday that he was finally leaving it to go work at a wildlife sanctuary. Libération now reports, and Ancel has confirmed in an interview with the newspaper, that he was in the midst of an investigation by Ubisoft into complaints that he had a toxic management style during the ongoing development of Beyond Good and Evil 2.

Ubisoft confirmed the matter in a statement to Kotaku:

[Ubisoft CEO] Yves Guillemot committed back in July that any allegation will be investigated and no one will be outside of that process–and this would include Michel Ancel. And as Michel confirmed to the journalist at “Liberation,” he is under investigation. The investigation is still ongoing and we have nothing further to share as we respect the confidentiality of this investigation.​

The Libération report, which details the development hell the game has been in for seven years, shares accounts by Ubisoft employees who accuse Ancel of being so difficult to work with that other managers were eventually brought in to limit the number of people who had to interact with him. They also blame Ancel’s management of the project, which reportedly included constant changes in scope and re-works, for an unusual amount of exhaustion, depression, and burnout experienced by members of his team.

“He is capable of explaining to you that you are a genius, that your idea is wonderful, then to dismantle you in a meeting, saying that you are nothing but shit, that your work is worth nothing, and not speak to you for a month,” one source told the newspaper.

In an interview with Libération, Ancel said he was unaware that people felt this way, and only seemed to acknowledge that the general difficulties associated with making an ambitious big-budget game had taken its toll on Ubisoft Montpellier where Beyond Good and Evil 2 is being developed. “The suffering is from both sides. Yes, it’s hard and there are people who are sad,” Ancel told Libération, based on a translation by Kotaku. He went on:

If you want we can work the terms. For me, the sadness is maybe more profound. Of course, when someone is in burnout, it’s terrible. Of course, when someone stops a project after many years it’s a part of their life that goes away. I don’t devalue that but you have to consider the context of such a creation, its ambition, its complexity.

Ancel says he was informed of the investigation into his behavior directly by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot in early August, who Libération describes as being close friends with Ancel. That was approximately a month after Ubisoft had responded to widespread reports of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abusive behavior by certain employees at the company by recruiting outside firms to investigate the allegations. Chief creative officer Serge Hascoet was one of those accused of misconduct and resigned shortly afterwards, while many others were terminated or otherwise parted ways with the company.

One employee told Libération that they thought this broader reckoning within Ubisoft would force the issues with Ancel to finally be resolved. Instead, the paper reports that Guillemont reaffirmed by late August that Ancel’s presence was “non-negotiable.”

(After its original statement regarding today’s Libération story, a spokesperson for Ubisoft sent Kotaku the following additional statement: “Since informing Michel he was under investigation early August, Yves has not been in contact with him nor discussed him with the BG&E2 team until the announcement of his departure.”)

Non-negotiable or not, by the morning of September 18, Ancel announced his departure from gaming in an Instagram post.

According to Libération, that post went live the same day he had taken part in a multi-hour session to answer questions in the investigation into his behavior. It was also the same day Ubisoft put out a press release announcing the veteran’s departure without mentioning he was being investigated.

In his interview, Ancel told Libération he parted ways with the company of his own accord and that his only regret is he didn’t finish Beyond Good and Evil 2 sooner.

Update - 7:04 p.m. ET, 9/25/2020: Michel Ancel responded to today’s report by Libération on Instagram this evening calling it “fake news.”

Ancel went on:

Take few people with rage and jealousy and let them speak in the name of hundreds. Publish the news fast so that it combines with sexual harassment from other news at Ubi soft. Is this serious? Is this what you expect from a national newspaper. I will fight for the truth because such accusations are a shame . I worked hard on every of my projects and always had respect for the teams. The accusations are wrong.​

 

[taxalot]

BGE wasn't even that good.

 

[Lacrymas]

BGE wasn't even that good.

It was at least unique. The story went bonkers in the end, but up until then it was pretty good. The characters have chemistry, the motivations are clear and understandable, the role you play as a journalist and exposer of truth is/was innovative, etc. The combat was a bit meh, but it was never the focus and it was serviceable to mix up the usual gameplay a bit. I don't think BGE2 has any chance of being as good whatsoever.

 

[fantadomat]

BGE wasn't even that good.

It was at least unique. The story went bonkers in the end, but up until then it was pretty good. The characters have chemistry, the motivations are clear and understandable, the role you play as a journalist and exposer of truth is/was innovative, etc. The combat was a bit meh, but it was never the focus and it was serviceable to mix up the usual gameplay a bit. I don't think BGE2 has any chance of being as good whatsoever.

The worst part was those ps2 level design. If it was more open world like game,it would have been good.

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

Beyond Good & Evil gets by mostly on its story, pacing, mix of gameplay types, and a hint at places it's going...although it ends right when it gets to those places too. How the fuck wasn't there more game onces you build your spaceship which seems like it'd open up the world? It's almost like if Skies of Arcadia ended right after when the rest of the world map opened up, like instead of opening up you just went right to the moon and then it was over.

Gameplaywise, at least with the combat, it feels kind of like a weaker version of Devil May Cry. It also takes it a bit before it doesn't completely suck.

As for that news, what the fuck is up with this shit of abuse news being: My boss didn't like my idea, and isn't talking to me? Especially when there's probably like a 100 people or something in these teams they might have to deal with.

 

[lightbane]

As for that news, what the fuck is up with this shit of abuse news being: My boss didn't like my idea, and isn't talking to me? Especially when there's probably like a 100 people or something in these teams they might have to deal with.

The consequences of the Metoo hysteria some would say, when it is very easy to blame a man of someone, especially if you're a female, and then find convenient dirt to fire him.

I suppose the news means BGE2 is not going to happen then?

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

It seems too far along by this point to not happen. Especially after they've shown it off a few times. But it is interesting that there seem to be people that want to change shit that doesn't, at least according to Michel Ancel, need changing and is fine as it is.

 

[toro]

This story has nothing to do with #meetoo

 

[Citizen]

Ancel left? Good. Now start working on Rayman 4 you hack

 

[taxalot]

The problem, actually, is not that BGE was a bad game. It wasn't. It was fairly good.

The problem is that it is a license that has nothing much to show for itself in 2020. It was not innovative. It was not groundbreaking. The universe was nice and original but compared to today's standards, it pales.

Just because a game was a nice surprise when it was released, doesn't mean it's worthy of a sequel or a reboot 20 years later.

 

[Metro]

Is this shit ever coming out?

 

[toro]

The most informative post about the affair: https://raymanpc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=74319&p=1426067#p1426067

Cancel culture sucks.

I believe that Michel Ancel was hard to work with -- from all the other information I've heard from devs, I have known this to be true for quite a while. But after reading the article, Michel's response and with various information I've heard throughout the years I will conclude that this reaction from the Rayman community is mostly unwarranted.

Furthermore, I agree with Michel Ancel's reply that it is suspect to say the least that this article is being tied to the sexual harassment scandal that is plaguing Ubisoft while it has nothing to do with that. I've seen people on Twitter react with "Ancel is an abuser fml" or shit like this, and I find it so frustrating to see all this misinformation being spread.

So that everyone is properly informed, here's some information I know of along with my interpretation of this drama:

Michel has tried to leave Ubisoft multiple times in the past because he wanted to work in a smaller team.
From all the interviews I've read and translated for you guys in the past, my best guess is that the reason behind this is probably his "auteur" attitude -- i.e. how he tries to manage each team member and ensure everyone is on the same page concerning the vision of the game, and everything they make is in line with that vision. Imagine having to do that in a bigger team; that can't work well.

Here's a reconstructed version of events:

2010: Beyond Good & Evil 2 Cancelled - Michel Ancel has left publisher Ubisoft to start his own studio
In 2010, after BG&E2's first cancellation, he tried to leave Ubisoft to create his own studio. In multiple interviews (in l'Histoire de Rayman and I believe in the Masterclass) has Ancel mentioned that this BG&E2 project failed because there were difficulties in working with larger teams.
Somehow, that studio ended up still being part of Ubisoft, and they worked on Rayman Origins.
From various interviews we know that Rayman Origins was a way to escape for him, a "vacation" from bigger projects, and a way to work in a smaller team again.

2013: Ancel Leaving Ubisoft - "Ancel has already give notice that he is leaving and five or six developers from Ubisoft Montpellier are prepared to leave with him"
After Rayman Legends, he wanted to do the same thing, again to work in a smaller team. A few people were ready to leave with him. They did, and created Wild Sheep Studio.
However, as we all know, Michel stayed at Ubisoft as well. Don't you think that's strange, working at two companies at the same time? You should. It's pretty clear what happened: Ubisoft negotiated with Ancel and gave him various benefits so they would not lose the man that made them famous. Among other things, they greenlit a sequel to Michel's personal dream project, BG&E, and allowed him to work on it at his own pace, even if it's just 2 mornings a week... yeah, that can't be good for either Ubisoft or Wild Sheep Studio.

Meanwhile, the scale of the BG&E2 project kept increasing.

2017: As an attempt to make Ancel's "auteur" attitude work in these big teams, and to manage the teams while he is away, Ubisoft added in a second creative director, leading a team of "opponents" for Michel Ancel who would push back against all of his decisions and make sure he doesn't change too much from his initial vision. As mentioned in the article, this team of "opponents" was created with the full trust of Serge Hascoët (the main sexual harasser from the recent allegations). The new creative director and main "opponent" was also the creative director of Ghost Recon, which is very much unlike what Michel Ancel was aiming for with Beyond Good & Evil. How could Ubisoft's management not see that this was creating further problems?

Can you imagine trying to make your dream project and having to fight for every tiny decision you make? It sounds... extremely frustrating. Ancel confirms that the relationship between them was not amicable. Sadly, it seems Ancel took out this frustration on the team and ultimately just decided to stop because of it. The frustration of the team is totally understandable, and yes, it is a result of Ancel's behavior... but I believe that that in turn is a result of Ubisoft's management's decisions. In his poorly formulated Instagram response to all this, Michel Ancel seems to imply that this is indeed the case:

Michel Ancel wrote:I am not managing the team. I bring a vision and producers and managers decide what to do , when and how. They are powerful people in the making of such a big projects. Why don’t the journalist speaks about them?
And really, how do you suppose he would manage the team if they are only present two mornings a week (and since 2019, never)?

Note: I think Ancel isn't "innocent": he should have left Ubisoft in 2013 or should have left when the team of "opponents" was established. Instead he stayed and let himself play a big part in this toxic environment.
But instead of persecuting him, why don't y'all persecute Ubisoft's management, that caused all this?

Ancel's response on Instagram:

Fake News
Take few people with rage and jealousy and let them speak in the name of hundreds. Publish the news fast so that it combines with sexual harassment from other news at Ubi soft. Is this serious? Is this what you expect from a national newspaper. I will fight for the truth because such accusations are a shame . I worked hard on every of my projects and always had respect for the teams. The accusations are wrong:
1- Toxic management : I am not managing the team. I bring a vision and producers and managers decide what to do , when and how. They are powerful people in the making of such a big projects. Why don’t the journalist speaks about them?
2- I always change my mind : false. E.g. I’ve spent years explaining why the city should not be re done from scratch. Hours explaining that characters were good enough and did not need to be redone . Same for planets and all. But sometimes some people in the team changed things despite my advices. Managers are here to solve this.
3- The 2017 demo was fake and was a video: false. The 2017 demo was solid and made possible the 2018 demo. As opposed to what is in the news, the 2018 demo had the right details , was using real streaming, procedural generation and was playable online. This was a masterpiece of technology.
The news from liberation contains fake Informations revealed by few people who wants to destroy me and the projects . This can’t be done without me fighting every single lines of that news. I’ve offered the journalist the opportunity to take enough time to look at all the mistakes. Let’s see what he will do.

Another take from Ancel:


Also some info on Rayman4:

 

[Citizen]

When is rayman 4 coming

 

[toro]

When is rayman 4 coming

After Microsoft buys Ubisoft.

 

[Sarathiour]

2- I always change my mind : false. E.g. I’ve spent years explaining why the city should not be re done from scratch. Hours explaining that characters were good enough and did not need to be redone . Same for planets and all. But sometimes some people in the team changed things despite my advices. Managers are here to solve this.

 

[taxalot]

Michel Ancel (yes, it's Michel, btw, change the topic) wrote an absolute cringe fest on Instagram where he is interviewed by Jade from BGE.

Yes, he basically interviews himself. Yes, by a virtual character. Yes, he's terribly misunderstood. Yes, it's awkward as fuck. Holy shit.

 

[Citizen]

Michel Ancel (yes, it's Michel, btw, change the topic) wrote an absolute cringe fest on Instagram where he is interviewed by Jade from BGE.

Yes, he basically interviews himself. Yes, by a virtual character. Yes, he's terribly misunderstood. Yes, it's awkward as fuck. Holy shit.

This is man is free to do whatever he wants as long he delivers fucking rayman 4 one day

 

[taxalot]

Michel Ancel (yes, it's Michel, btw, change the topic) wrote an absolute cringe fest on Instagram where he is interviewed by Jade from BGE.

Yes, he basically interviews himself. Yes, by a virtual character. Yes, he's terribly misunderstood. Yes, it's awkward as fuck. Holy shit.

This is man is free to do whatever he wants as long he delivers fucking rayman 4 one day

But he will not.

 

[Citizen]

B..But murfy promised...

 

[Infinitron]

Michel Ancel (yes, it's Michel, btw, change the topic) wrote an absolute cringe fest on Instagram where he is interviewed by Jade from BGE.

Yes, he basically interviews himself. Yes, by a virtual character. Yes, he's terribly misunderstood. Yes, it's awkward as fuck. Holy shit.

 

[Dexter]

https://www.ubisoft.com/fr-FR/recru...cation=montpellier#sr-post-id=743999726057823

 

[Cyberarmy]

 

[Morgoth]

Lol what a mess.