A few years ago, Ubisoft showed off quite the surprise announcement during its E3 2017 showcase. Ubisoft initially released a critically acclaimed adventure way back in 2003 entitled Beyond Good and Evil, and while it received amazing reviews, ended up being a commercial failure. Many vocal fans retroactively enjoyed it, leading to the game achieving its cult classic status in the years since. Ubisoft clearly understands the interest is still there, which is why the publisher unveiled a proper sequel in Beyond Good and Evil 2.
It may be surprising to some that Beyond Good and Evil 2 was actually unveiled much earlier than a few years ago, but development has made some significant changes to the game's concepts since then. Not only that, but other major franchises for Ubisoft like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry have exploded in popularity, resulting in critical and commercial successes. Beyond Good & Evil's sequel has been on the backburner for some time, and it's been a while since fans have heard anything about the game since last year as well.
A Decade in the Making
Beyond Good and Evil's sequel was initially teased way back in 2008 with a vague trailer of Jade and Pey'j broken down on the side of a desert road. There was also a supposed leaked gameplay trailer that came out a year later, but was never confirmed by any sources as in-game footage or accurate to the actual game. In the near-decade since then, Beyond Good & Evil 2 has clearly undergone significant conceptual and mechanical changes during development. For fans who not only had played the first game, but also saw that 2008 teaser trailer, 2017's announcement trailer for Beyond Good & Evil 2 likely came as a shock to them.
From that trailer alone, it was clear Beyond Good & Evil 2 has added several new characters, takes place in completely new worlds, and acts as a prequel to the first game. Fans have also witnessed additional trailers, some of which confirming characters like Jade returning from the original game in a very different form. Even a few gameplay demos from 2018 have given players hints at what to expect when the sequel releases. But since then it's been radio silence from Ubisoft and the development team, with Beyond Good and Evil 2 not even being mentioned during last year's E3 showcase. In 2019, Beyond Good and Evil 2 only had a short stream about players' character customization options and some information on the game's lore.
When Will Fans See BG&E2 Again?
As for when fans will get to see Beyond Good & Evil 2 again, it's hard to pinpoint. There's a slight possibility there could be an announcement or trailer coming from the Ubisoft Forward presentation on July 12, but the game was not listed among Ubisoft's official lineup for the showcase. Granted Ubisoft's big E3 presentations typically have a few surprises laid out during the show, but since the game has already been teased, it's not likely unless the game is coming out sooner than expected. Beyond Good & Evil 2, at least in its current form, has presumably been in development for at least four or five years. The series has been dormant for years, so some extra development time is generally assumed with ambitious titles like this.
It's also worth noting that Ubisoft already has a packed lineup of games that have been announced for a while: Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion, Gods and Monsters, and more. That's not even counting some of the unannounced and heavily rumored games that will assuredly be at Ubisoft's showcase in a few days. Games like Watch Dogs: Legion in particular have been waiting a long time for their time in the spotlight, but since Ubisoft delayed many of the triple-A games in its lineup to this fiscal year, those games will take precedence. Beyond Good & Evil 2 hasn't even received a release year or release window, unlike the aforementioned titles, and it doesnt seem likely that it will anytime soon.
An Ambitious Sequel Takes Time
Not to mention Beyond Good and Evil 2 is a very ambitious sequel of a game that didn't even perform well sales-wise, so the developers would understandably want to take their time on making the game. The first Beyond Good & Evil game came out over a decade ago, so the anticipation for this game from hardcore fans has been building for a while, but there's a huge risk Ubisoft runs if the game disappoints new players as well as the hardcore fans. If Beyond Good and Evil 2 needs more development time and doesn't have anything to show at the moment, then that's fine under that pretense. but it does mean the wait is going to be even longer.
Obviously nowadays, with games becoming as graphically impressive and mechanically massive as they've become, Beyond Good & Evil 2 runs a significant risk if the game fails as well. Ubisoft has repeatedly stated this sequel isn't a risky venture for the publisher, but for a game as niche as Beyond Good & Evil to get a massively ambitious open world sequel, it's hard not to feel that way. Regardless, the game continues to show a lot of promise, and as long as the narrative matches that ambition without betraying fans of the original game, then there won't be a problem.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 is currently in development.