According to a new report, Beyond Good and Evil 2 has survived the latest round of cancellations at Ubisoft. This report comes from Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson, who claims that Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still in development at Ubisoft despite the recent restructuring and despite it being almost 20 years since the sequel's original reveal.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 has a very long and storied history. That history begins in 2007, when rumors of a sequel to Ubisoft's 2003 cult classic Beyond Good and Evil started to appear following a Nintendo Power interview with director Michel Ancel. Beyond Good and Evil 2 was officially teased by Ubisoft in 2008 via two in-engine trailers, though the project would be put on hold soon after so that Ubisoft Montpellier could focus on developing Rayman Legends.
Ubisoft made no official statement on the status of Beyond Good and Evil 2 in the decade following its soft-announcement in 2008. But the radio silence ended in June 2017, when Ubisoft revealed an all-new trailer for Beyond Good and Evil 2, and essentially confirmed that the original version of the sequel shown in 2008 had been reworked entirely, and that development had restarted. Following reported claims of workplace mismanagement and misconduct, Ancel left Ubisoft in 2020, and the helm was handed to Emile Morel, who sadly passed away in 2023. Ubisoft's last official statement regarding Beyond Good and Evil 2's progress came in June 2024, when it confirmed that the sequel was indeed still in development.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 Is Reportedly Still In Development at Ubisoft
On January 21, Ubisoft announced via an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that it was undergoing some fairly major changes. It confirmed that Ubisoft's Stockholm studio was being closed, and that a total of six in-development projects were being canceled. These six canceled projects include three new IPs and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, a long-awaited remake that was first announced in 2020 and had itself undergone multiple delays and at least one development restart.
A few hours after the Ubisoft restructuring news broke, Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson published a report claiming that Beyond Good and Evil 2 had survived this round of cancellations, and that it was still in development according to their sources. Insider Gaming's sources also claim that Beyond Good and Evil 2's development will likely have cost Ubisoft over $500 million due to "constant changes, pushbacks, and the lengthy development time." Given that these recent Ubisoft restructurings and cancellations were reportedly done to save the company €200 million, it's a little odd that Beyond Good and Evil 2 has survived, especially as the game still has no official release window.
Along with these cancellations, Ubisoft has reportedly delayed many of the games that have survived. According to a document released by the publisher, Ubisoft is giving seven projects "additional development time" to "ensure enhanced quality benchmarks are fully met." The document makes specific reference to an "unannounced title initially planned for FY26" that has now been pushed to FY27. Insider Gaming believes this project is the long-rumored Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake, which it claimed was planned for release in March of this year.
The futures of other major Ubisoft franchises are left a little unclear following the recent news. The Splinter Cell remake, which was first announced in 2021, is believed to still be in development, but Ubisoft hasn't officially confirmed that. Similarly, The Division 3 received an update from the game's executive producer a few weeks ago, but Ubisoft hasn't confirmed that the project is safe following these recent cancellations.
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Source: Insider Gaming