Origami Media has reported that Ubisoft’s Beyond Good & Evil 2 is currently still in pre-production 18 years after it was originally announced, with the game having evolved from a multiplayer-heavy affair to a “solo-first” project.
According to a sources familiar with the project, Beyond Good & Evil 2 during the period 2019 — 2022 was being positioned as “highly multiplayer and connected,” including “a multitude of planets” where players would match up and play together. The report went on to say that the a key concept of Beyond Good & Evil 2 during this stage was the ‘third place,’ where players would hang out together similar to Destiny and Fortnite. “You played as a blank character tagging along on the adventure of the heroes of Beyond Good & Evil, in the passenger seat,” claims Origami.
Things have since “evolved” greatly and now there are comparisons being made with Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man games in regards to combat, as it transitions to a solo adventure.
“The aim now is to offer a ‘solo-first’ adventure, with no mandatory online connection and featuring a strong narrative that can also be played in co-op. A few years ago, some people thought it bore a resemblance to Zelda in space; today, its combat is very reminiscent of Insomniac’s Spider-Man games.”
The report adds that, “historically, BGE2 has failed to meet all its creative milestones,” referred to as “gates,” likely playable builds, due to ideas constantly changing. “Is the game cool enough? Innovative? Can we make this loop more engaging? Hang on, let’s push the deadline back again – we could improve the combat system… and so on,” says the report.
Back in September, Ubisoft Bordeaux lead writer and associate narrative director, Rik Godwin, stated that he was working on Beyond Good & Evil 2 in a support/consultant role. The project has endured an arduous development cycle since its 2008 unveiling, going silent for years until Ubisoft re-revealed the game at E3 2017. In 2024, Fawzi Mesmar took over duties as creative director following the passing of Emile Morel the previous year.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 is currently in development for unknown platforms and is without a release date.
[Source – Origami Media via Eurogamer]