Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still in development, and just added another writer to its team.
18 years on from its initial announcement and a decade on from its re-announcement at E3 2016, Ubisoft is still plugging away on its sci-fi fantasy sequel — though there’s still no word on when the game will actually release.
That said, work is clearly continuing. Just this week, Ubisoft Bordeaux’s lead writer/associate narrative director Rik Godwin confirmed via social media that he had joined the project a few months ago, working in a support/consultant role.
Founded in 2017, Ubisoft Bordeaux has typically acted as a support studio for other projects, though led work on Assassin’s Creed Mirage and most recently released Claws of Awaji, the one and only expansion for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Geographically, it makes sense that Bordeaux-based personnel are helping out on Beyond Good & Evil 2, which is led by Ubisoft Montpellier, situated to the south.
It’s another intriguing development for Beyond Good & Evil 2 for those who have been tracking its extremely slow progress (yet progress nonetheless) in recent years, ever since it gained a new creative director, Fawzi Mesmar to steady its ship. The last while has subsequently seen work coalesce once more, with the sequel’s characters given intriguing cameos in the new Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition, cementing a sense that the project now had a firm direction.
Then there’s the fact that the project survived Ubisoft’s existential reshuffle of projects, brands and development studios earlier this year — despite various other games falling by the wayside (Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake, we’ll never forget you.)
“Needless to say, I am saddened by the cancellations that has affected my colleagues in other parts of Ubisoft and the industry,” Mesmar said at the time. “I urge everyone — myself included — to offer support whenever and however they can during these times. We remain committed and focused on delivering a remarkable game for our players to enjoy.”
Inexplicable as it may be, but there remains a sense that Beyond Good & Evil 2 actually still may release one day, having got this far. Exactly how it will look and whether Ubisoft ultimately chooses to keep the game’s name remains to be seen. But here’s hoping we will indeed see the answers to these questions, sooner rather than later.
Tom Phillips
News Editor
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social