Earlier in the week, rumors emerged regarding multiple project cancellations across Ubisoft’s international footprint. An official company statement seemed to confirm some of the information presented in news articles. In addition, the French video game giant confirmed that several of its development studios had been shuttered—likely part of a strategy to speed up their three-year roadmap that was formulated to reduce costs. A company-wide restructure included the creation of Ubisoft’s “CH4” creative house—according to official blurb this group is “dedicated” to making “immersive fantasy worlds and narrative-driven universes.” Several fan-favorite franchises were listed within this branch—most notably, “Beyond Good & Evil” IP’s inclusion drew particular attention from members of the press. Followers of Beyond Good and Evil 2’s progress (or lack thereof) have got used to long stretches of radio silence. Many had assumed that Ubisoft’s various modern-day re-strategizations had finally put the kibosh on the Montpellier-based teams’ grand endeavors.

Ubisoft’s dedicated Beyond Good and Evil 2 webpage has not been updated with any progress reports since the summer of 2020. A pre-production phase started all the way back in 2007, under Michel Ancel’s leadership. The veteran video game developer—of Rayman series fame—conceived and directed the original title (2003) earlier on in the decade. By September 2020, Ancel had exited Ubisoft—consequently transferring control of the BG&E 2 project to another set of “capable hands.” This week, Eurogamer took the time to investigate the much-anticipated sequel’s present-day status. According to today’s news article, a company spokesperson has responded with an encouraging statement: “Beyond Good and Evil 2 remains part of our portfolio and our roadmap and fits with our strategy of focusing on Open World Adventures.” According to Eurogamer, the Ubisoft PR staffer believes that the “the fantasy genre is underserved” within the current open world gaming market. They seem confident that Beyond Good and Evil 2 will be a “unique proposition” upon release. Hopefully, the BG&E/Montpellier team will provide an in-depth update in the near future, once Ubisoft’s “CH4” initiative settles into place.