Beyond Good & Evil 2 is definitely one of gaming's biggest mysteri?es since Ubisoft originally revealed this game back in 2009, rebranded and re-announced it in E3 2017 and yet, the company still hasn't disclosed much information about it, let alone a concrete release d?ate.

Most gamers believed that Ubisoft cancelled Beyond Good & Evil 2, especially after the game's Creative Director, Emile Morel, sadly passed away in June 2023. But, in reality, this hasn't stopped the company from continuing to pursue this ambitious project, and the company has now assigned a new person to the role: Fawzi Mesmar, who announced it on his personal LinkedIn page.

"I have been working with those peeps for years now on this ambitious game and witnessed their talent firsthand. I am standing on the shoulders of creative giants that have supported the team before me, and I look forward to continuing to craft a game that is truly unique for players to enjoy" said Mesmar on his announcement post. When taking a look at his personal portfolio, it's clear that Beyond Good & Evil 2 is in good hands, since he has experience working on some of Ubisoft's best titles, like Mario & Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Star Wars Outlaws, and even Beyond Good & Evil - 20th Anniversary Edition.

The tumultuous development history of Beyond Good & Evil 2

Mesmar's post confirms that Ubisoft is still trying to complete Beyond Good & Evil 2, which goes along with the recent claims that the company took part of the disbanded Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team and assigned them to this project. However, you can't blame people?? for thinking that this game got canceled, because, so far, its development history has been both messy and controversial.

Ubisoft first revealed Beyond Good & Evil 2 back in 2008, with a fascinating trailer that showcased Jade and Pey'j from the first game, confirming that this was going to be a sequel. While Ubisoft showed bits & pieces of this project during the following months, the company eventually went on full rad??io silence, making people wonder if it had cancelled it.

But things suddenly changed in E3 2017, when Ubisoft unveiled a brand-new Beyond Good & Evil 2 trailer that confirmed the game had gone through a major overhaul: It now has a new cast of characters, it's an ambitious open-world adventure, and it's going to be a?? prequel, instead of a narrative sequel. A??fter an impressive E3 presentation, both fans and journalists suddenly had high hopes for this upcoming game.

Unfortunately, the development of Beyond Good & Evil 2 went through a series of setbacks that would keep the game under wraps for a few more year?s, including the firing of director Michel Ancel and the aforementioned sudden passing of Emile Morel. However, Mesmar's enthusiasm and years of experience indicate that there's still hope for this infamous project, so Ubisoft may be finally able to release it in the near future.

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The Ubisoft Forward showcase on June 10 may have had some exciting new footage for Star Wars Outlaws and a reveal for the next Anno game, Anno 117: Pax Romana, but one beloved Ubisoft IP was glaringly absent. Yes, once again, Ubisoft had nothing to say about the long-awaited Beyond Good & Evil 2, and not even the first game's remaster was brought up. Naturally, fans of the ?series can't help but be disappointed by the lack of news.

"We have lost again," reads one blunt Reddit post, with a few other fans saying they "expected nothing and [are] still let down." Another Reddit user shared a saddening piece of art depicting Jade and Pey'j, the protagonists of the first Beyond Good & Evil, wistfully staring at a photo of Pey'j as he appears in one of the trailers for Beyond Good & Evil 2. Said post is appropriately capti?oned with the popular "He?llo darkness, my old friend" meme.

Plenty of fans admitted they weren't surprised by the complete lack of Beyond Good & Evil 2, but had at least thought the first game's remaster would make an appearance. One baffled fan wrote, "I wasn't expecting BGE 2 in the Ubisoft Forward event, but no remaster is madness." Another concurred, saying, "I cannot fathom why they wouldn't even mention? the anniversary edition--not even a teaser or vague release window? Such a shame."

The confusion from fans is warranted. The Beyond Good & Evil remaster was formally announced in November 2023 (after it had accidentally leaked online), with Ubisoft promising to share more information in early 2024. We're now in June, and there hasn't been a single update on its release. Considering this remaster is being done to celebrate the original game's 20th anniversary (which was in 2023), you'd think Ubisoft would want it out sooner rather than later. We do still have another six months left of 2024, so hopefully the remaster will still release before the end of the ?year, but it's understandable why fans are worried about it given Ubisoft's silence on the matter.

As for Beyond Good & Evil 2, who even knows what's become of that project. Some consider the game vaporware at this point, with it being roughly seven years since its E3 2017 debut. It's also the most delayed AAA game of all time, surpassing the previous record holder, Duke Nukem Forever, in 2022. Given its continued absence at Ubisoft's? gaming showcases, I wouldn't be surprised if the game has undergone some significant overhauls and will end up looking quite different to its initial reveal... assuming?? it ever actually releases.

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The longtime Ubisoft developer has passed away

Emile Mo??rel, a developer with a long legacy including?? many years at Ubisoft, has died at age 40.

News first began to spread around on LinkedIn, with colleagues posting tributes to Morel on the site (via IGN). Ubisoft Montpelier, his studio, has posted an official confirmation and statement:

It is with a heavy heart that we share the sudden passing of our friend and colleague ??Emile Morel. We send our deepest con??dolences to his family, friends, and teammates all over the world.

We would like to take a moment to acknowledge the significant impact he made o??ver the years on different games that make up the rich history of our studio.

For us, Emile was a close friend and a boundless sou?rce of positive energy. We all valued his passion and the way he told stories.

We will never forget Em??ile and his immense contribution to the BGE2 universe will forever endu?re.

True Freedom Lies Beyond.

Beyond good and evil

Morel had worked at Ubisoft for some time, with 14 years of experience at the company working on several notable titles. Morel served as a senior designer on Rayman Legends, as well as working on Test Drive Unlimited 2, 2008's Alone in the Dark, and Rayman Fiesta Run.

After the departure of several leads from Beyond Good & Evil 2, Morel took over as creative director on the project. The sequel was revealed at E3 2017 and has been in development for some time since.

We extend our t??houghts and condolences to Morel's loved ones and colleagues.

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What is it they say about sunk cost again?

At this point, I don't know where to start with Beyond Good & Evil 2. It holds the record for the game with the most time in development, and has become the poster child for development hell. Seeing as Ubisoft just announced a whole host of game delays and cancellations, I thought?? for sure the long-awaited sequel would be on that list.

Much to fans' relief, however, Ubisoft has just confirmed that Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still very much alive and well in a conversation with PCGamesN. The game's development is still "??underway and the team is hard at work to deliver on its ambitious promise," an unspecified Ubisoft spokesperson disclosed.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9VPnI34dPw

Beyond Good & Evil 2 was announced all the way back in 2009, but got its first trailer nearly a decade later at E3 in 2017, as well as a cinematic trailer the following year at the same event. The original is a cult classic that came out in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Microsoft Windows, and even if the sequel dropped tomorrow, it would be crazy to think it skipped three whole console generations. If I had to put money on it, I'd bet it'll skip at least for by the time it eventually re??leases �optimistically assuming that it ever will at all.

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It's a waiting game

Anyone who's been into games for more than like a day knows how long the wait can be for our favorite titles to release. Game delays are a dime a dozen these days, but for some fans, the wait is so long, you start to wonder if you'll ever get to see the Promised Land. While the development cycle can be anywhere from a year or two to six or seven years at most, there are some games out there that we've been waiting much, much longer for. One of those games is Beyond Good & Evil 2, a long-awaited sequel to Ubisoft's beloved classic. It's been so long since the game was initially teased at Ubidays 2008, in fact, that the title is considered the longest-awaited AAA game of all time.

The previous record-holder in this regard was Duke Nukem Forever �players had to wait over 14 years from its announcement in 1997 to its release in 2011 (or 5,156 days, to be exact). We've now been waiting 5,236 days for Beyond Good & Evil 2 as of the writing of this pos?t, and it doesn't look lik??e we'll be getting any updates any time soon.

Ubisoft did release a full trailer for the game at E3 back in 2017 that looked pretty good, but I guess it would have been a pretty bad omen if it didn't co??nsidering they had supposedly been working on it for nine years at that point.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsoIUHDrPcg

Some Reddit users have pointed out that we wait so long for some games that they become something of an urban legend. Beyond Good & Evil 2 certainly fits the bill there, along with Half-Life 3 and whateve??r project Ken Le?vine is supposedly working on.

Part of me wants to respect whatever difficulties are likely going on behind the? scenes to draw development out this much, but another part of me is so beyond curious to hear about any? development drama. Oh well, if it's anything interesting, Jason Schreier will probably write a book about it eventually.

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