Ancel using small team to make BG&E2

By Oli Welsh Published 25 June, 2010

Wants it to have "soul", not be "commercial".

Michel Ancel has revealed that Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still in development with a very small team at Ubisoft's Montpellier studio.

"It will take time. Please have patience. I'm sorry," he told the audience at a Montpellier games conference (captured on video, and in French, by Crisy.fr).

Ancel said that he is experimenting with new development practices and tools on Beyond Good & Evil 2 so he can keep the number of staff working on it small and preserve its "artistic spirit".

"On this game, we're keeping the team small, to preserve creativity and so the game doesn't become a commercial product, so that is has soul," Ancel said.

He revealed that he's been working on tools that will do the same for game creation in 3D as the tools - demonstrated at the conference - being used by just five people to create 2D platformer Rayman Origins (which was revealed at E3).

"It takes a bit longer, but we're very keen to use this system with this game, because it's an ambitious game and we want to create something exceptional," he said.

The tools and techniques, Ancel said, were getting close to those used in cinema by the animators at Peter Jackson's effects house WETA Digital. Ancel was inspired by working with Jackson and WETA on the King Kong game.

"At its base, it's about using tools to preserve an artistic spirit," Ancel said. "Perhaps one day we'll be the WETA Digital of Montpellier, which would be superb. It will take some time.

"But we don't want to go too fast, and that's a shame it's true, because the project is taking a long time to come out... but we want this project to be truly exceptional.

"[Beyond Good & Evil 2] hasn't been abandoned, it's an ongoing project, and we hope to do it in this way using these tools, that's to say making a 3D game with very few people."

Beyond Good & Evil 2 was first announced back in May 2008 with a CG trailer (watch it below). It's in development for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Still want.

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (46) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ZuluHero #1 2 years ago

    A small team is better than no team at all i suppose, but when you hear about the number of people working on other UBI titles, like the recent Assassin's Creed 2 (450 people?) it does make me worry slightly.

    Still, at least the project is still live - even if it does mean we won't see it till 2020 ;)

  • telboy007 #2 2 years ago

    YIPPEE!!! It's still alive, thank fook for that.

  • tomjoadsghost #3 2 years ago

    A shame that "soul" and "commercial" have to be mutually exclusive, though of course its hardly exclusive to this medium. UBI get a least a little goodwill from me for continuing to support this though.
    Edited by 1 at 25/06/10 @ 14:03

  • Cataferal #4 2 years ago

    I'm pleased to hear its still alive, but I'm getting George Broussard vibes from his game design philosophy. It's been three years, and it still doesn't sound like it's left pre-production.

  • telboy007 #5 2 years ago

    Also sounds like he's having to pay for this team himself!

  • wizlon #6 2 years ago

    I'm down with that methodology, just don't take too long ubi.

  • sfp_noodle #7 2 years ago

    I'm reluctant to jump on the 'yay its still in development' bandwagon just yet. It could still be cancelled as games in the past have proved. It's also not encouraging that since 2008 we've heard pretty much nothing about the game. Those aren't good omens. I will keep my fingers crossed though and hope this does indeed see the light of day.

    One thing you have to remember is that the Alan Wake team was also quite small and that game took forever and a day to get released. If BG&E2 suffers from the same protracted development time then it may end up being a failure.

    I'm sorry if I sound pessmistic, but I'm just going off history. I sincerely hope I'm proven wrong.

  • Retro_ #8 2 years ago

    Sounds like it 'will' be abandoned pretty soon :(

  • Evolution #9 2 years ago

    Just nice to hear from Michel.

  • galerian86 #10 2 years ago

    Oh, Monsieur Ancel, take as long as you want.

    Just make sure it's shipped during my lifetime...

  • SixFootHalfling #11 2 years ago

    Hopefully by the time it comes out, Ubi will have abandoned the stupid DRM and I'll actually buy it.

    Although to me it sounds like its been canceled, or put "on hold" indefinitely, and they don't want to tell anyone.

  • Farfarer #12 2 years ago

    Woohoo :D

  • FooAtari #13 2 years ago

    "On this game, we're keeping the team small, to preserve creativity and so the game doesn't become a commercial product, so that is has soul," Ancel said.

    I like the sound of that. Lets just hope it doesn't mean development hell for the game.

  • Xardan #14 2 years ago

    I hope they have sufficient funding to see it through.

  • VicViper #15 2 years ago

    Glad to hear theres still life in it.

    Someone needs to ask if the video of Jade running through the Desert Style town that appeared on youtube a while back was legit or fan creation, its was frankly to good looking/pant tightingly awesome to be true but I can live n dream.

    Edit:Just checked the wiki entry for BG&E2 and the video was leaked from UBI so it seems that was maybe in game or at least at that time.
    Edited by 1 at 25/06/10 @ 15:40

  • Markitron #16 2 years ago

    Is this the announcement that its still DEFINATELY coming out?? if its not then Iv missed something. At this rate ill be expecting a gamplay trailer for duke nukem forever next week

  • himynameisnathan #17 2 years ago

    *sheds tear of happiness*

    I admire ubisoft for letting this go ahead even though the first was woefully under appreciated.

  • telboy007 #18 2 years ago

    "I admire ubisoft for letting this go ahead even though the first was woefully under appreciated."

    Even then, that is an understatement!

  • sneetch #19 2 years ago

    "He revealed that he's been working on tools that will do the same for game creation in 3D as the tools - demonstrated at the conference - being used by just five people to create 2D platformer Rayman Origins (which was revealed at E3)."

    That's fantastic, hopefully these tools will mean that they can continue to produce more varied games (games like BG&E2), I'm starting to warm up to Ubisoft again. :) Whenever I hear of hundreds of people working on a game I wonder how - logistically speaking - it's possible without them all getting in each others way and spending half their time on integration. That's not even taking into account the financial risk.

    Absolutely adored the first one, sneaking about and investigating. Ah, it was golden, one of the high-lights of the Cube for me.

  • albinac #20 2 years ago

    so long as the game is finished and sold a bit cheaper considering we have to wait so long for it to come out. i loved the first game,it was so much fun to play and extremely good looking for a game of its time. i cant have this game any time soon and thats bad man thats bad.

  • makariel #21 2 years ago

    GOTY 201... 2012? 2015?

  • GooseUK #22 2 years ago

    Wants it to have "soul", not be "commercial"

    As translated by Ubisoft:

    Wants it to be "cheap", and to avoid "Pissing off Our 3 remaining fans whilst not having to really pay much attention to the project because it wont make much bank."

    Cynical? lol

  • space_ace #23 2 years ago

    le vapourware

  • thesnowman #24 2 years ago

    Sounds to me like, it would be canceled, but they are letting it survive as long as it doesn't cost too much to make, i.e. not use many staff.

  • Freek #25 2 years ago

    Valve and Blizzard do this sort of thing, but who else has the budget and the tallent to pull if off? Ubisoft? Doesn't sound likely.
    I really liked the first one, but this doesn't sound like something that will ever be published.

  • Kami #26 2 years ago

    Echoing above comments, but BG&E was one of the best games on the PS2 - if not of the past decade. I know it's all driven by money money money - see Kotick - but when you have a game with a devoted fanbase and was critically praised and fawned over, surely Ubisoft would be willing to throw more resources at this and give it another shot?

    And if anyone hasn't played Beyond Good and Evil... well sir/madam, we have no more to discuss until you have.

  • metalangel #27 2 years ago

    The first game was the very definition of 'magical'... in the same way so many games of the distant past were (Little Big Adventure especially) and that virtually none are today.

  • chudders #28 2 years ago

    THE best thing to come out of France. Ever.

  • Kluff #29 2 years ago

    >A shame that "soul" and "commercial" have to be mutually exclusive

    Well, it doesn't have to be, but apparently it does for Ubi.
    Glad to hear Ancel is still working on the game. I feared his talents may go to waste, like Will Wright's did before Maxis was bought by EA...

  • smelly #30 2 years ago

    Quote : "Wants it to have "soul", not be "commercial"."

    Translation : "Wants it to be cheap to make because the first one sold shit."

  • smelly #31 2 years ago

    >THE best thing to come out of France. Ever.

    erm.. it was made in Canada.

  • space_ace #32 2 years ago

    ↑ plus, "another world" came out of france and is better

  • rosettastone1 #33 2 years ago

    Spanish (Spain) Level 3 with Audio Companion
    Spanish (Spain) Level 2 with Audio Companion
    Spanish (Latin America) Level 1 with Audio Companion
    Spanish (Spain) Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion
    Spanish (Latin America) Level 2 with Audio Companion
    Spanish (Latin America) Level 3 with Audio Companion

  • waynenot #34 2 years ago

    Ubi have given him the tea lady on Friday evenings at a discount rate in order to continue developing the sequel. She has a lot of soul-rich, uncommercial ideas the hope to get onto the final disc as locked-DLC.

  • dsmx #35 2 years ago

    Being made by small team to keep it cheap, so if it fails again we won't lose as much money. There fixed for you.

  • Vin #36 2 years ago

    Fall 2012. Mark it down.

    It the end the Mayans predicted; time will cease to exist due to Ancel awesome.

  • persus-9 #37 2 years ago

    Yay! I really like the sound of this. I've got time and I'd really hate for them to screw this game up or cancel it. I just hope it comes to PC as well and far enough in the future that Ubisoft have come to their senses regarding PC DRM.

  • webcider #38 2 years ago

    It would be kind of interesting if it will be Episodic content a game like Beyond Good & Evil could benefit from it and Michel Ancel has already expressed his personal feelings toward this new way of delivering content. I think it could be the case for this game that it will be delivered in Episodes.

  • Slipstream #39 2 years ago

    Quality over Quantity. My favorite kind.
    Edited by 1 at 26/06/10 @ 21:50

  • smelly #40 2 years ago

    Why did i get negged for pointing out the first one sold badly? It DID!

    And is almost definitely the most likely reason ubisoft arent putting much a budget behind this one!

  • Kluff #41 2 years ago

    >"Wants it to be cheap to make because the first one sold shit."

    Actually, it's more "Wants it to be cheap to make so Ubi execs won't cancel it."

  • smelly #42 2 years ago

    >Actually, it's more "Wants it to be cheap to make so Ubi execs won't cancel it."

    .. because the first game sold poorly.

  • pac666 #43 2 years ago

    Good news

  • Kluff #44 2 years ago

    >.. because the first game sold poorly.

    I doubt that's any of Ancel's worries, only the consequences are.

  • Grayvern #45 2 years ago

    Depends what the definition of small team is and how much longer it will be till it comes out, if ever. To be honest it's probably so far in the future that I can't bring myself to care.

  • UncleLou #46 2 years ago

    ">THE best thing to come out of France. Ever.

    erm.. it was made in Canada."

    Last time I checked, Montpellier was in France.