Vapourware Beyond Good & Evil 2

[Tehdagah]

The first game wasn't even good

 

[toro]

The first game wasn't even good

Take that back.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

I never got the hype for the first game either. Writing was slightly above average, but gameplay was nothing to write home about. Pretty forgettable experience all around, and definitely has nothing on Ancel's Rayman games.

 

[Baron Dupek]

urm
Star Citizen?

 

[lightbane]

Even DNF didn't have its main producer cancelled as BGE did and thus causing the production to screech to a halt, for what's worth.

 

[toro]

Some guy having fun.

 

[Egosphere]

I never got the hype for the first game either. Writing was slightly above average, but gameplay was nothing to write home about. Pretty forgettable experience all around, and definitely has nothing on Ancel's Rayman games.

it was quite weird, distinct and memorable. could be said for a lot of games of that era, though.

 

[AdamReith]

The original had some of that Little Big Adventure french energy.

 

[gerey]

Beyond Good and Evil 2 has now officially been in development for longer than Duke Nukem Forever.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamesn.com/beyond-good-and-evil-2/development-ubisoft-cancels

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still coming, as Ubisoft cancels three games​

Beyond Good and Evil 2, the long-awaited platformer sequel from Ubisoft, is still in development, as Skull and Bones gets delayed and three games are cancelled

Beyond Good and Evil 2, the much-anticipated platform game sequel, is still in development, Ubisoft exclusively confirms to PCGamesN, as it announces that upcoming pirate game Skull and Bones is once again delayed and three unannounced projects have been cancelled, ahead of the Beyond Good and Evil 2 release date.

On Wednesday, January 11, Ubisoft held an investors call in which it confirmed that Skull and Bones would be delayed until “early 2023-24” and that three unannounced games have been cancelled, as the Rainbow Six Siege and Far Cry developer combats a difficult financial year for 2022. Speaking exclusively to PCGamesN, however, Ubisoft says that development of Beyond Good and Evil 2 is unaffected.

“Beyond Good and Evil 2’s development is underway and the team is hard at work to deliver on its ambitious promise,” says a Ubisoft spokesperson.

Originally announced in 2009, Beyond Good and Evil 2 vanished for a number of years, before returning with a new cinematic trailer at E3 2018. Michael Ancel, director of the original platform hit, is also helming the sequel, a sprawling open-world game set in a “multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, human society in a distant solar system” called System 3.

Despite the delay to Skull and Bones and the cancellation of three unannounced games, Ubisoft has a range of projects in the works, including Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the social and multiplayer-driven Assassin’s Creed Infinity, and a remake of the original Splinter Cell. The Division 2 has also been re-released onto Steam, available at a substantial discount.

As we stand at the beginning of 2023, check out some of the other best upcoming games you can expect in the next 12 months. You might also want to try some of the best story games, if you’re a big Beyond Good and Evil fan, or maybe the best action-adventure games on PC.

 

[Pound Meat]

I thought that French bitch quit.

 

[Infinitron]

https://kotaku.com/beyond-good-evil-2-ubisoft-montpellier-assassins-creed-1850164420

Beyond Good And Evil 2 Studio Head No Longer At Ubisoft​

Ubisoft Montpellier loses its managing director as BG&E2 continues to struggle​

Last year, Ubisoft’s ambitious sci-fi multiplayer adventure, Beyond Good and Evil 2, surpassed Duke Nukem Forever’s dubious record for having the longest development time of any video game. Last week, staff at Ubisoft Montpellier were informed their managing director was no longer with the company, Kotaku has learned. It comes as the studio faces a labor investigation by local government authorities over an unprecedented number of developers experiencing burnout and going on sick leave.

Ubisoft Montpellier has been working on BG&E2 in some shape or form for over a decade now. The follow-up to the original 2003 cult hit starring photojournalist Jade has turned into one of the most notoriously beleaguered productions at Ubisoft and in the games industry in general. Now, with the game still not even technically in full production, it faces a personnel shakeup among its core team and an investigation by the Inspection du Travail in Montpellier, France, according to three sources familiar with development who wished to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak about it.

“The health and wellness of our teams is an ongoing priority,” a spokesperson for Ubisoft told Kotaku in an email. “Given the length of the development cycle with Beyond Good & Evil 2, the Montpellier development team is undergoing well-being assessments through a third-party for preventative measures and to evaluate where additional support may be needed.”

The studio told staff last week that managing director Guillaume Carmona, who had previously been absent since the beginning of the year, would not be returning and had left the company. No reason was provided citing legal confidentiality. Carmona, a nearly two-decade veteran of Ubisoft who began in marketing, left its Paris office in 2019 to become head of the studio best known for creating Rayman. Carmona declined to comment when asked about why he was not longer at Ubisoft.

His departure comes after a year which saw dozens of developers at Montpellier going out on extended leave for stress or sickness, including many leads, according to three sources familiar with the studio’s operations. Some came back, while others eventually left the studio altogether, eventually sparking a visit from the French labor inspection office last December. Kotaku understands that a third-party entity has now been tasked with interviewing employees at Montpellier and providing a full report on the health and well being of the teams. A representative of the labor inspection office declined to comment, citing confidentiality.

It also coincided with BG&E2’s most recent shift in direction, which among other changes saw senior creative director Jean-Marc Geffroy removed from the project. Kotaku understands that he has been replaced by Emile Morel, previously the game’s associate director. Charles Gaudron, meanwhile, has become the new game director following the departure of Benjamin Dumaz. Guillaume Brunier remains the game’s executive producer, though some wonder if he will eventually be replaced as well.

Last shown back at E3 2017, BG&E2 was pitched as an open-world adventure in which players move seamlessly from space to a city’s streets, where they can then collect intel for their next adventure. The game would feature customizable ships and online multiplayer. It sounded incredibly ambitious at the time, and the project has been hampered by a number of tech, design, and organizational challenges in the years since. Michel Ancel, the original game’s director, was reportedly toxic to work with while also often absent from production. He ended up resigning in 2020 amid a larger reckoning with workplace abuse at Ubisoft.

Two and a half years later, sources tell Kotaku that BG&E2 is still struggling to nail down a creative vision that is both fun and achievable.

Correction 2/27/23 4:16 p.m. ET: BG&E2 has still not entered full production, not pre-production.

 

[Jarmaro]

This game is a platonic ideal of development hell

 

[lightbane]

Kicking out the director behind the game turned out to be a poor idea. I wonder what is Michel doing these days.

 

[Siel]

Kicking out the director behind the game turned out to be a poor idea. I wonder what is Michel doing these days.

(living the dream)

 

[Toffeli]

Beyond Good and Evil 2 creative director Emile Morel has died

 

[Egosphere]

Beyond Good and Evil 2 creative director Emile Morel has died

Michael sicced the boar on him

 

[Sòren]

Beyond Good and Evil 2 creative director Emile Morel has died

that game is cursed.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Dead fetus.

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

Who the fuck outsources the writing? Why not outsource everything including putting together garbage from other outsourcing studios.

 

[El Presidente]

Beyond Good and Evil 2 creative director Emile Morel has died

that game is cursed.

Unironically this

 

[ScarredBushido]

i'll laugh if its worse then duke nukem forever (2012)

 

[taxalot]

They outsourced the writing to OpenAI.