BG&E2 to be "more immersive, complex"

By Robert Purchese Published 3 April, 2009

Hardware can finally match Ancel's ideas.

Michel Ancel believes that, with the power of the new consoles, he can finally fulfil his original ambitious ideas for Beyond Good & Evil.

"We'll conserve the spirit [of the first game] but the form will change," Ancel told All-Gamers during a video interview, translated by our friends at Eurogamer France. Bon.

"For [BG&E], we wanted to create a more cinematographic game, but we didn't have the technical ability to do that. So we simplified. It was fun, because I remember we had to create a work for Sony to demonstrate how original our game was in order to get the dev kit. We wrote BG&E like we were in a film. After, we understood it would be very tricky to reach that immersion on that console!

"But now, with the next-gen consoles, we feel it is possible to develop the game we thought of for the first," he said.

Ancel said Beyond Good & Evil 2 - announced at UbiDays last May - will take longer to create but be "more immersive" and "more complex" as a result. The French clever-clogs noted that there is more expectation on the sequel now the brand is established, too.

So, when? "It is very difficult to answer: there is an unknown aspect," explained Ancel, revealing that his team has been working on new concepts that don't always work out, making dates difficult to forecast

"We could have finished the game," concludes Ancel, "but we want BG&E2 to bring something to the videogame universe."

He was also coy about which platforms we will see Beyond Good & Evil 2 on.

"We are not sure," Ancel admitted. "We are on a next-gen format but we can't say if it will be one or two." He even kept the possibility of a Wii version alive, claiming that his technical ambitions didn't "eliminate adaptations or particular versions".

Head over to our Beyond Good & Evil gamepage for the reveal trailer.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (26) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • Widge #1 3 years ago

    "cinematographic game"

    sounds like my nectar.

  • Beek4257 #2 3 years ago

    BG&E was simplified? What the h*** is he up to this time then?

    /strokes chin

  • hoathenfold #3 3 years ago

    I wish the original was made available on Xbox downloads - Id love to have another run through of this before #2 arrives!

  • Chufty #4 3 years ago

    I expect this is still years away, but I'm looking forward to it. I bought the original on Steam after reading the re-review here and it's a thoroughly enjoyable game.

  • ChthonicEcho #5 3 years ago

    First Ubisoft says the first one was too complex and they want the second one simplified, now this guy says completely the opposite?

  • space_ace #6 3 years ago

    next-gen - so it's for xbox 720 then?

  • Farfarer #7 3 years ago

    Take as long as you want, guys, just make it good :)

  • menage #8 3 years ago

    Hope they don't apply the current Ubi template of awesome graphics and production, repetitive tasks and boring gameplay.

  • Matfink #9 3 years ago

    So a Wii version would presumable *not* match his original ambitious ideas? (re: hardware power...)
    Edited by 1 at 03/04/09 @ 12:51

  • ZuluHero #10 3 years ago

    360, 360, 360, 360, 360....

  • IronCladChicken #11 3 years ago

    @Matfink
    The Wii should be fine as long as they shave back on the graphics

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #12 3 years ago

    Hope they don't apply the current Ubi template of awesome graphics and production, repetitive tasks and boring gameplay.

    This one's being done in France, not Canada, so it should suffer so much from jaderaymonditis.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #13 3 years ago

    Ancel: "We are on a next-gen format but we can't say if it will be one or two."

    Surely after the timed-exclusivity marketing cock up of the original BG&E, they'd get their rollout fixed this time round. Besides, Ubi already have a very capable cross-platform engine.

  • jimboton #14 3 years ago

    Let's hope they let him 'complicate' the game to his heart content. I like exploration, puzzles, secrets and challenge with my adventures, thanks! :)

  • dr_faulk #15 3 years ago

    Wait, did the first one need to be "more immersive, complex"? No! Stop c**ing up sequels!

  • Tomo #16 3 years ago

    I'm actually getting mildly excited about this despite not liking the first one, albeit I only played it for a couple of hours... should I try it again? Hmm...

  • riz23 #17 3 years ago

    I bought the first one on GC originally. It was fairly good. I'm not sure this is actually going to be a great game. I sense ambition, publisher eagerness, media expectation and general hyperbole all combining to create an underwhelming flawed sequel. I want it to be good, but I just have this nagging feeling it won't be.

  • Krelle #18 3 years ago

    BG&E is on my top 10 games ever-list.
    It may not really be THAT amazing as i remember it, but it was certainly a special experience and it really stands out in a sea of Halos, Killzons, GOWs and GOWs (no offense, fanboys of those games).

  • muscleblade #19 3 years ago

    The first one was amazing. I have high hopes for this.

  • metalangel #20 3 years ago

    So long as it keeps the silky smooth controls, magical atmosphere, enchanting title screen music and protagonist based off Emma Du Caunes (yum) I will be happy.

  • Transcendent #21 3 years ago

    "We are on a next-gen format but we can't say if it will be one or two."
    It's coming to the Xbox 720 and the PS4?

    Retards makes me not want to buy their games.

  • space_ace #22 3 years ago

    the real question is, does it have a subtitle? :)

  • ronuds #23 3 years ago

    "Retards makes me not want to buy their games."

    Did you read the question? "So and so was coy on which console the game would appear on."

    Meaning, he's not sure if it'll be on either the 360, PS3, or both.

  • MeBrains #24 3 years ago

    "We are on a next-gen format but we can't say if it will be one or two."

    oh come on. give that experience to both 360 lovers and PS3 huggers...

  • Thornhillboy #25 3 years ago

    I really really really hope this is longer than the original BG&E. It may be a sign of how good it was, but I felt like I went through the original far too quickly for my liking, even including taking photos and collecting everything.

  • 3william56 #26 3 years ago

    Tomo- yes you should. It's a definite slow burner, because it's so unlike most of what else we play (or was back then). I didn't get the demo at all and passed on it first time around. Then only after folks here went on about it so much, I grabbed a second hand copy years later. Even then, it took a few hours to really see what the fuss was about, but once you do, it's wonderful.

    (Unless the lack of massive t*t physics and exploding helicopters puts you off, of course)