How Far Along is the Development of Beyond Good & Evil 2?
Last year at E3, Ubisoft surprised their most dedicated fans with the announcement that not only was Beyond Good & Evil 2 real, but that development had begun. Little did we know that when they said development on the title had begun, they quite literally meant it had just begun.
It’s been a full year since that announcement and we might be no closer to playing the game than we were last year, or maybe we are closer. It’s something Ubisoft failed to explain this year at E3. We might have received some hints, though.
Following a new trailer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt took to the stage to announce that his entertainment production company, HitRecord, and Ubisoft were working together to bring all sorts of assets into the game. Simply put, HitRecord has $50,000 to pay any number of different artists who submit their art pieces, songs, and more to the company. If the asset is good enough, or rather, well-received by the company, said asset will be used in Beyond Good & Evil 2. Of course, these artists will be compensated for their work. How much each asset receives is still up in the air, though. Anyway, if Ubisoft is not only asking for help adding art to the game, but also has the time to wait for these assets to be created and then sent, it might be safe to bet that Beyond Good & Evil 2 is a ways off.
Furthermore, if you watched the new trailer, you know Jade from Beyond Good & Evil makes an appearance. Last year when the sequel was announced, it was announced as a prequel set long before the events of the first game. If that’s true, why was Jade in the trailer? Maybe the prequelization of the title wasn’t well-received, or maybe Ubisoft changed their minds, but regardless, if Jade is in the game, it can’t be the same prequel discussed at E3 in 2017. This indicates that the title likely changed directional paths somewhere in between E3 2017 and E3 2018. A drastic change in development, which this could potentially be, can easily set a game back years. Is that what happened to Beyond Good & Evil 2? Naturally, we want to play it as soon as possible, but we also want what we play to be great, so if the team needs more time, fans should be pleased at their decision to take the time to make the game better.
Regardless, none of these questions posed were answered during the 2018 E3 Ubisoft conference which leaves us wondering how far along this game is. Maybe we’ll find out next year.
