Bloody Hell, It Lives! Beyond Good & Evil 2 Dodges Ubisoft's Axe, But The Mystery Deepens
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Against all odds and a corporate bloodbath at Ubisoft, the legendary, long-in-development *Beyond Good & Evil 2* has somehow survived the latest round of cancellations, leaving us digital wizards wondering if its 18-year saga is finally heading for a grand finale.
Right, so you know that feeling when you're trying to clear out your inventory, chucking all the useless junk, and then you stumble upon that one ancient, dusty artifact you forgot you had? The one you *swore* was gone, probably disintegrated in a rogue spell back in 2008? Well, mate, that's pretty much the vibe coming out of Ubisoft HQ lately, especially concerning one particular, incredibly long-suffering game.
Ubisoft, bless their cotton socks, has been on a bit of a corporate cleanse, if you will. A spring clean that involved binning no less than six games, including the much-anticipated *Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake*. Ouch. That’s like accidentally hitting ‘delete all’ on your save files. But amidst this digital graveyard, one zombie-like project has not only survived but seems to be... well, thriving, relatively speaking. I’m talking, of course, about *Beyond Good & Evil 2*.
Now, let's be fair dinkum here, Ubisoft's had a bit of a rough trot. Stock prices doing their best impression of a falling anvil, internal strife that makes a guild raid look like a tea party, and a general air of "are they *actually* going to pull this off?" hanging over their entire operation. So, when news broke that six projects were getting the chop, it wasn't exactly a shocker. What *was* surprising was which ones got the axe – and which one *didn't*.
These cancellations included the *Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake*, a mobile game, and four other unannounced projects for PC and console, all sent to the digital void. It’s a harsh reality check for any developer, and frankly, for us players who've been patiently waiting, sometimes for *decades*, for these passion projects to see the light of day. You can imagine the collective sigh of relief, then, from the *Beyond Good & Evil 2* camp when their creative director, Fawzi Mesmar, popped up on LinkedIn to deliver the news: they'd made it through the purge.
Mesmar’s statement felt like a transmission from a besieged bunker – a combination of immense relief that *his* team and *their* epic saga were safe, but also a palpable sadness for those who weren’t. "We remain committed and focused on delivering a remarkable game for our players to enjoy," he declared, which is classic dev-speak for "we're still here, please don't forget us!" It's a tough balance, celebrating your survival whilst acknowledging the wreckage around you. Fair play to him for urging everyone to support affected workers; that’s the human touch we often miss in these corporate announcements, isn't it?
But what does it *mean* that *BG&E2* survived? This isn't just any old game. This is *the* game. The one that was first teased way back in 2008 as a prequel to the original, a full decade before we even saw a proper trailer at E3 2017. We're talking 18 years since the initial whisperings, mate. Eighteen years! My digital wizard beard has grown longer than Gandalf’s waiting for this one.
The original *Beyond Good & Evil*, released in 2003, was a gem. A critically acclaimed action-adventure with a unique premise – photojournalist Jade uncovering an alien conspiracy with stealth, platforming, and some clever contextual commands. It scooped up awards, sure, but commercially? Well, it struggled. Apparently, Ubisoft’s marketing department was off chasing dragons or something, because nobody really *knew* about it. It became a cult classic, a game whispered about in hushed tones, revered for its heart and unique gameplay. And ever since, fans have yearned for its successor.
So, for *BG&E2* to have dodged the axe after all this time, especially when other, seemingly more marketable projects (a *Prince of Persia* remake, for goodness sake!) got the boot, is honestly a bit baffling. Like trying to figure out why *that* specific spell went off, not the one you actually cast.
Ubisoft, in their grand "sustainable growth plan" (a phrase that always makes me gently sceptical, like a marketing wizard trying to sell me swamp land), has apparently slotted *Beyond Good & Evil* into their "fourth creative house." That's the one dedicated to "immersive fantasy worlds and narrative-driven universes." Sounds fancy, doesn't it? Like a magical library for epic tales. It's almost as if they're saying, "Look, we know this one's a bit of an enigma, but it *fits* our grand vision of making really cool, story-rich games."
And here's where it gets interesting – or, perhaps, *more* confusing. Just a couple of months before this survival announcement, we got word of a fresh wave of hirings at Ubisoft Montpelier, the studio behind *BG&E2*. Lead Quest Designer, Senior 3D Character Artist, Senior VFX Artist, Technical Sound Designer, Technical Lead Network Programmer... that's not the hiring spree of a game about to be cancelled, is it? It's the sound of a project getting serious. The network programmer role, in particular, hints strongly at a multiplayer component, even if it's expected to remain primarily a single-player experience.
So, what are we to make of this digital saga? Is *Beyond Good & Evil 2* finally, *finally* nearing its mythical release, after a development cycle so long it probably qualifies for a pension? Or is it simply a case of Ubisoft keeping a particularly stubborn albatross around its neck, a project so deeply embedded in their history (and presumably, their budget) that it’s harder to cut than to just... finish it?
My gut tells me it's a bit of both. There's genuine passion there, evident from Mesmar’s statement and the historical context of the original game. But there's also the pragmatic reality of a huge publisher trying to steady a listing ship. *BG&E2*'s survival, while fantastic news for its dedicated (and patient!) fanbase, is a testament to resilience, perhaps a touch of stubbornness, and a whole lot of gaming industry chaos. It's a bizarre, intriguing chapter in game development, mate. One where an 18-year-old dream gets a fresh lease on life while more recent, more conventional projects get unceremoniously dumped. It makes you wonder what other forgotten treasures are lurking in the digital catacombs of these big publishers, just waiting for their moment to defy cancellation. And honestly? That's the kind of wonderfully unexpected, optimistically chaotic news that keeps this old digital wizard ticking. Let's just hope this spell finally resolves with a glorious explosion, not a fizzle.
Tags: Beyond Good & Evil 2, Ubisoft, Game Development, Gaming News, Action-Adventure
Original article: Game Rant