Fans of Beyond Good & Evil are probably the most long-suffering in the history of video games. Because yes, Silent Hill has had terrible installments, and F-Zero has disappeared into Nintendo’s oblivion (which only brings it back occasionally, mainly as a tribute), and other franchises have suffered the industry’s blows, but at least no one has been promising that they would continue since time immemorial. After its release in 2003, it has been sworn up and down that they were still making a sequel… but one could say that Beyond Good & Evil 2 might never come out. After a trailer and many promises, would anyone be surprised, at this point, if they confirmed that 18 years of development is too long and they have decided to put it to rest for good?
On the Other Side of Good and Evil
Over the years and after witnessing how its myth grew, it tends to be thought that Ubisoft ended up happy with the sales of Beyond Good & Evil, but the reality is different: it was a resounding failure, partly because the producer did not properly announce it focusing its efforts on the new Prince of Persia and allowing the title to sink in an oversaturated market. However, over time it has become a cult classic and has even had remasters in 2011 and 2023.
It’s more! This last remastering had a secondary mission that connected it with the hypothetical second part. And I say “hypothetical” because after a trailer in 2017, released after eight years of development, nothing more has been heard of it beyond a couple of images, as if to say “Hey, do you remember this? Well, it seems it’s still on.” If at the time Duke Nukem Forever became a joke within the industry after 15 years in the making, what will Beyond Good & Evil 2 be if it finally launches, probably crossing the two-decade mark?
Along the way, everything has happened. In fact, when it started to develop, it was during the times of the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360, just to give us an idea of the graphical changes they had to make as programming progressed. Unfortunately, there has even been a death to mourn, that of Emile Morel, the creative director, who passed away suddenly at the age of 40 in 2023, which added to the departure of the director at that time, Michel Ancel, who said goodbye to Ubisoft in 2020 after several accusations of being disorganized and even abusive. In short, the game is going to be the mix of many parents. If it even comes out. Let’s say it will. Magical realism.
Is it just hot air?
The latest we heard about the game is that it was still being developed, and the team was working on shaping it after many -many- restarts. At this point, I don’t think there is anyone at Ubisoft who believes the game will be profitable, but after being one of the industry’s best-kept secrets for years, we should at least be able to know what is hidden behind the mystery, right? Although, considering that in 2022 it was still in pre-production, it’s unlikely we’ll see it anytime soon.
It is normal that, over the years, the timelines for making a video game grow. Gone are the days of developments lasting a couple of years at most: right now, it is likely that, for example, a sequel is being prepared at the same time as the original, to maximize resources. But… almost 20 years and counting? When it arrives, the strange thing will be that anyone still remembers its existence: think that a 22-year-old player at the launch of Beyond Good & Evil will now be… 44. And counting. Who is this sequel aimed at? Probably, at this point, even its creators do not know. If it comes out, they can consider themselves lucky.
