"Keep the faith" for Beyond Good & Evil 2

By Fred Dutton Published 24 February, 2011

Ubisoft discusses sequel status.

Things have been worryingly quiet on the Beyond Good & Evil 2 front since it was first revealed back in 2008. Is the sequel to Ubisoft's beloved but under-performing 2003 adventure classic still alive? Or has the publisher got cold feet and canned it?

"Keep the faith," was all Wang Xu, producer of the impending Beyond Good & Evil HD, had to say on the issue during an email chat with Eurogamer.

When asked whether the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network re-release was being used as a test balloon to gauge consumer interest in the franchise, Xu was similarly coy.

"Yes it is true; please buy Beyond Good & Evil HD if you want more BG&E games :)" he wrote, before adding, "For real... I don't know."

Following a brief teaser trailer unveiled in May 2008, Ubisoft has released no further formal information about the proposed sequel.

Last Summer, Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot insisted that the game was still in the oven and urged fans to have patience.

"What is very import with this next product is that it will be perfect. [Michel Ancel's] intention is to come [out] with something really exciting," he explained.

Beyond Good & Evil HD, meanwhile, launches on Xbox Live Arcade on 2nd March, with a PlayStation Network release to follow later in the year. Look out for more from Xu on that later this week.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (20) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • evnewell #1 1 year ago

    You probably shouldn't need someone to tell you that any release, re-release or HD remake is going to impact future development of a given franchise. If you want more Call of Duty, buy more Call of Duty. You can vote for sequels to your favorite games by purchasing the current installment of the franchise. Of course Ubisoft is waiting to see the sales data of the HD remix before fully committing to a sequel. No one should need to be told this.

    someone's not being totally honest here though. Ubisoft, short of making anything decent, has never made a great game, or a perfect game. They have proven themselves to be a wheel spinning studio. They work very hard, spend lot's of money, but end up publishing mediocre trash. I know you all love AC - I'm not here to argue with you, you're just all wrong.

    If BGE2 is going to be made perfect before its release, don't expect a release. Or it will be released flawed. You won't get a perfect release, not from Ubisoft, not ever.

  • waynenot #2 1 year ago

    Does anyone care anymore? I enjoyed the first one back in the day, but it wasn't THAT good.

  • metalangel #3 1 year ago

    I like BG&E as much for being fun as I like the bright, colourful and imaginative setting. Little Big Adventure (yes, ADVENTURE, not bloody Planet) is another game like this.

  • Golgo #4 1 year ago

    Now that Duke Nukem Forever is almost out we need something else in development hell for another decade or so.
    So take your time and give us something to moan about.

  • gjgjg #5 1 year ago

    *readies credit card to register vote

  • evild_edd #6 1 year ago

    @Golgo:

    Perhaps you've never heard of the Shenmue series......?

    Actually, where the f**k is Shenmue 3 SEGA!?!?!?!

    /goes off to rant on their message boards....

  • KayTannee #7 1 year ago

    I like BG&E as much for being fun as I like the bright, colourful and imaginative setting. Little Big Adventure (yes, ADVENTURE, not bloody Planet) is another game like this.

    Yeh, agreed. Got the first game because it reminded me of LBA.

  • metallicorphan #8 1 year ago

    @Golgo may i also add to evild_edd's suggestion of Shenmue III,and say Star Wars Battlefront III :)

  • Kaminari #9 1 year ago

    "Please buy Beyond Good & Evil HD if you want more BG&E games."

    Nowadays, I think most consumers don't buy into this sort of modern blackmail anymore. And rightfully so.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #10 1 year ago

    Please buy the HD remake?

    I bought the first game once and enjoyed it plenty. I'm not buying it again. Just release the bloody sequel.
    Edited by JohnnyWashnGo at 24/02/11 @ 22:10

  • Cowbomb #11 1 year ago

    Bleh, I want to believe, but this is just them trying to drum up extra sales for the HD version.

  • sfp_noodle #12 1 year ago

    Well if you have a PS2, the original actually has a HD mode. Even the UK PAL copies do. Granted, it won't look as sharp as a 720p remake, but it looks pretty fucking good in 480p. Mind you if you've got a slimline model the game's audio has a tendency to fuck up on occasion. For some reason the game isn't very friendly with slimline PS2's.

    Just thought I'd share that info. IT costs what, £2-3 on eBay or in shops? saves you a fiver on the HD remake and you can sell it off again once your finished.

  • Mister-Wario #13 1 year ago

    I must admit I tried to like Beyond Good and Evil but it felt really truncated and short. I mean, you could walk into Mammago Garage and see every single plot device on display. If you had been able to explore a wider area and the control was a little tighter I think I would have enjoyed it more.

    That said, I do urge you to try it. It's not terrible by any means and the photography section is a neat idea.

  • persus-9 #14 1 year ago

    If they decide to release the HD version for PC then I'll buy it. If not then I'm just going to keep the faith.

  • Loneck #15 1 year ago

    I bought Beyond Good & Evil on Gamecube, so I voted by this. Im not gonna buy HD version to let Ubisoft know that I would like to play sequel.

  • ubergine #16 1 year ago

    I bought the XBox version of BG&E for a nostalgia trip but it wasn't backwards compatible. I'm happy to throw a few more bucks at this IP.

    My biggest interest in this game though is where Michel Ancel has been imprisoned all these years. He's an interesting creator. Hopefully BG&E 2 will be commercially successful, but it's hard to personally care, I just want it to be good! And unusual, like the first game! And to exist!

  • Spong #17 1 year ago

    BG&E HD is out March 2nd!? Fuck, that sneaked up pretty quickly. Can't wait.

  • Meho #18 1 year ago

    Well, I have a boxed BG&E copy for PC, a Steam copy for PC and a boxed copy for PS2... So, I only need to buy a HD remake and we're good to go? Why didn't you say so???

  • Golgo #19 1 year ago

    @evild_dedd: Yep, I have heard of Shenmue funnilly enough. But the term 'development hell' can hardly apply to a title that is not - nor is ever likely - to be in development, now can it?

  • Garfy #20 1 year ago

    Keep up the apathy guys and it might never happen, publishers only look at the bottom line.