Ubisoft announced a remastered Beyond Good & Evil 20th anniversary edition this week, out on 25th June, but that’s not the Beyond Good & Evil many are hungering for. Beyond Good & Evil 2 was announced back in 2008, around 16 years ago. I remember writing about that trailer of Pey’j the porcine mechanic eating a fly for a blog somewhere. “Fly-eating mechanics confirmed?” I probably scribbled, in the blessed innocence of youth.
Since then, it’s been one long series of delays, reannouncements, key team departures and sad losses. Original director Michel Ancel left Ubisoft in 2020 following accusations of disorganised and abusive management, while creative director Emile Morel died suddenly in July 2023 at the age of 40. Many speculate that Beyond Good & Evil 2 will never make it into the wilds. Ubisoft have, however, sought to restore the faith a little by adding a new mission to the Beyond Good & Evil anniversary edition which links to the events of the sequel.
The mission in question is a treasure hunt in which players can learn about protagonist Jade’s childhood by acquiring cosmetic rewards. “This exclusive new mission also reveals more about the narrative link to Beyond Good & Evil 2, showing Ubisoft’s enduring commitment to the franchise,” Ubisoft promised in a press release.
I wouldn’t take this as a hint that a Beyond Good & Evil 2 re-reveal is imminent, but I find it more concrete as evidence that development is on-going than any of Ubisoft’s recent reassurances. I imagine the game has changed a lot since its last big public splash at E3 2018, which wowed us with talk of procedural planets, simulated solar system physics, jetpacks, swordfights and the ability to build your own starfighter. Here’s that footage again, for auld time’s sake.