Beyond Good and Evil 2: trailers, news and predictions

We’ve been waiting a long time for the sequel to Across Good and Evil, the action-adventure classic that originally released in 2003. And, afterward many delays, Ubisoft finally announced at E3 2017 that a prequel was in the works: Beyond Good and Evil 2.

While the prospect of a new Beyond Good and Evil has seemed shaky for almost a decade, Ubisoft’southward cinematic trailer at E3 2022 suggests it will definitely exist worth the expect.

However, beyond the announcement, we haven’t heard much in the way of solid details nearly Beyond Expert and Evil 2. How will it differ from the original? What will be the same? How volition online multiplayer work? When volition we actually get to play information technology? Those are a lot of questions and we didn’t become any answers at E3 2021, and so information technology could be a while before we discover out more.

In the meantime, we’ve gathered up all the news, rumors and confirmed details surrounding Beyond Proficient and Evil 2 below for your perusal.

Cut to the chase

• What is it?
  An open up-universe sci-fi action RPG
• What tin can I play it on?
  Nothing’s official, simply probable PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC
• When can I play it?
  Information technology’due south not likely to be whatsoever fourth dimension shortly

Across Proficient and Evil ii release date

It’s been a long fourth dimension since Beyond Expert and Evil 2 was appear but a release date nevertheless hasn’t been announced. During a 2020 investor call (via IGN
(opens in new tab)), Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the publisher would be releasing “v new AAA games in 2020-21” only confirmed in a follow-upwards Q&A that Across Good and Evil two would not be one of them and then there could still be a while to expect yet.

Beyond Good and Evil two trailers

Ubisoft released a cinematic trailer for Across Proficient and Evil 2 which details the game’s setup and debuted long-awaited characters, like Jade and Pace.

You can check it out below:

A cinematic trailer breakdown explores what was shown during E3 2022 in great detail. Cheque information technology out below:

Ubisoft announced Beyond Good and Evil 2 at E3 2017 with an announcement trailer. You lot tin watch it below:

Beyond Good and Evil ii news and rumors

E3 2021
Unfortunately, Beyond Good and Evil 2 didn’t make an appearance at Ubisoft’s Ubisoft Forrad showcase at E3 2021. So it could exist a while before we hear more on the long-awaited sequel.

Progressing well
Beyond Good and Evil ii remains something of a mystery only in October 2020, after the departure of Michel Ancel from the manufacture, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said during the visitor’south earnings call (via VGC
(opens in new tab)) that the game is “progressing well” adding that “The earth is really a fantastic world …And so, at that place’s a lot of progress in that team and the game is coming along very well.”

Getting the Netflix treatment
It may not be about Beyond Good and Evil 2, only the Beyond Good and Evil brand overall is getting the Netflix handling. In August 2020 it was announced that Netflix is working on a moving-picture show adaption of the game which is reported (via The Hollywood Reporter
(opens in new tab)) to exist directed by Detective Pikachu and Goosebumps director Rob Letterman. Described equally a hybrid live-activity/animated feature, the motion-picture show was still in early development at the time of its proclamation.

Michel Ancel leaves the gaming industry only wait new game footage in 2021
Across Adept and Evil creator Michel Ancel has announced on his Instagram
(opens in new tab)
that he’due south leaving the gaming manufacture after 30 years to work in an fauna sanctuary. Ancel had been heading upwards piece of work on Across Good and Evil 2 only told fans not to worry as for “many months now the teams are autonomous and the projects are going super well. Beautiful things to be seen before long.”

Ubisoft followed Ancel’s declaration up with a argument of its own
(opens in new tab), noting that Ancel “hasn’t been directly involved in work on BG&E2 for some time at present,” and that the squad behind Across Good and Evil 2 is “difficult at piece of work building on top of the solid creative foundation he helped shape.”

The update goes on to say that an “important internal milestone” has recently been passed, “delivering a build that proves our Space Pirate Fantasy and offers hours of gameplay and an incredible level of freedom in a seamless online sandbox, building upon the hope of our tech demos shown at E3.”

The development team is, apparently, expanding and the promise is to show the game in action “sometime next yr, once we pass our next internal production milestones.”

Quadruple A
You lot’ve caput of AAA but what well-nigh AAAA? Well, that’southward potentially what Across Good and Evil two is beingness classified as by Ubisoft. According to a Twitter user (via Wccftech
(opens in new tab)) a number of developers take started referring to games similar Across Good and Evil ii and Skull and Basic every bit AAAA projects on their LinkedIn profiles. The reference in the profiles to next-gen does also allow us know that the game volition likely (every bit suspected) be a PS5 and Xbox Series X release.

June 2022 update

Though Across Proficient and Evil two fabricated no appearance at E3 2022, there was still a livestream in June from the development team. In this stream the team dished out some new gameplay details and some concept art.

It was explained that in the game everyone in Arrangement 3 is a clone while hybrids are made by crossing the DNA of humans and animals. Some of these hybrids are used every bit slaves in the mining and drove of a valuable and dangerous mineral called Diwalite.

You, the player, will be a space pirate and you lot’ll exist able to choose whether you are a human or a hybrid. You’ll also exist able to rescue these slave hybrids and recruit them to your crew. Overall, though, the game volition give you enough of freedom to craft your own story. Yous can watch the stream for yourself below:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt
The reveal at E3 2022 likewise clued us into a collaboration with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’southward Hit Record company to produce user-generated content that will brand it into the last game.

People around the world volition be able to contribute all sorts of content with hopes of it making it into the final production.

E3 2022
E3 2022 brought us some more than news on Beyond Expert and Evil 2 and we attended a behind closed doors demo of the game.

We now know that the game volition be a prequel to the original, with a younger Jade taking upwards the role of antagonist. Players volition be able to play co-operatively in the open game world, and they don’t even accept to remain near each other at all.

You’ll exist able to create your very own space pirate and explore the universe in your very own space ship. From what nosotros’ve seen of the game and so far the game earth is astonishingly large and utterly seamless and you can movement from city streets, to sky, to infinite to outer space without any loading screens at all. From the off you’ll have a melee weapon, a gun, a shield and a jetpack. Weapons can be modified with interesting augments.

A key item in the game will exist a cool spyglass which players tin use to appraise situations earlier going into them. Hovering over an enemy volition tell you more nigh them, what augments they’re using and their abilities. It certainly makes planning an set on a lot more than smooth. You can also use information technology to browse buildings and assess what they do and whether there might be any employ in setting your optics on them for a robbery.

The developer live stream
A developer livestream
(opens in new tab)
for Across Good and Evil 2 showcased some gameplay footage that showed how melee staff combat and ship maneuvering would work. Exterior of this, it also confirmed that players would exist using their very ain custom characters and the story will have new information on Beyond Skilful and Evil’s Jade, DomZ and the origin of the human-beast hybrids.

Online play
Michel Ancel has said the game volition exist playable online, which falls in line with Ubisoft’s shift towards securing long-term player engagement from its games. At the moment it’s still non clear how online play volition actually work – it could be a separate mode with private matches or information technology could work more like Far Cry 5 which allows players to go through the entirety of the main game with a friend.  Nosotros hope it’s the latter.

Own more than ane ship
Players volition be able to ain multiple ships, increasing their calibration and crew size as they go. Once a player has a larger ship they’ll even be able to store their smaller one-man dogfighting vessels within it.

Furthermore, the environments will be
somewhat
destructible, allowing parts of buildings to be demolished but non unabridged large structures, apparently. Real-time shooting star showers will be able to impact entire portions of planets which could potentially trigger missions and story events.

All-encompassing exploration
Furthermore, exploration will patently be a large theme, and you will be able to fly from a planet into space seamlessly without loading times—much similar in No Man’s Heaven. There will besides be spaceships of varying sizes, including vast ones that tin hold smaller ones inside.

Ancel also talks a bit well-nigh the world in which these characters exist, with the social construction seemingly keeping these hybrid creatures down, along with the vile threat of slavery. He suggests that the crew yous meet in the Gada ship, comprised of varying hybrids and humans of different origins, showcases the various message that the game hopes to convey despite the ugliness in the globe. Information technology’s “exactly the heart of Beyond Proficient and Evil ii,” he explains.

A Jade connection
As for the green-eyed helm at the finish, Ancel admits that in that location is some connexion to Jade from the first game, but refuses to spoil the game with any specifics. Likewise, there’s an earlier reference to her Uncle Pey’j that Ancel too acknowledges, and he says the teases hint at “how deep the world tin be.” Similarly, the trailer is apparently loaded with Easter egg references. Apparently

(opens in new tab)Jade will not directly feature in the game equally it’due south gear up a generation before her birth.

Unfortunately, there’s no word on a release target or even the platforms that we’ll exist playing on, and given that Beyond Good and Evil 2 was only confirmed to exist in pre-production as of last autumn, it may notwithstanding exist a long mode away. Nosotros might exist lucky to see it in 2022, merely don’t exist surprised at all if the game doesn’t transport until 2022 or 2020.

A brand new game engine

Ubisoft has revealed the Beyond Good and Evil 2 is being worked on using a brand new game engine called Voyager. To capture Michel Ancel’southward vision for the game and create a world as large as this game’s one will exist, a brand new game engine was completely necessary and the tech for it has been in development for the by 3 years.

Check out a video detailing the new engine below:

Beyond Good and Evil 2: Franchise history

As of now, only ane game has been released in this series: the original Beyond Skilful and Evil, which hit PlayStation ii, Xbox, GameCube, and PC back in 2003.

Photojournalist Jade’s quest to investigate and uncover an alien conspiracy leads to a chiliad and diverse adventure spanning stealth navigation, melee combat, puzzle solving, photography, and even racing. Slick art direction, entertaining activeness, and compelling characters and story threads made Beyond Skillful and Evil a fan favorite, even if the game wasn’t a sales success.

Luckily, information technology became a truthful cult classic over time, and Ubisoft revived the original game with an Hard disk drive edition for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011. It’south also backwards compatible with the Xbox I, and then at to the lowest degree you tin can play it on one of the electric current consoles.

Beyond Expert and Evil two was first appear all the way dorsum in 2008 with a very odd teaser trailer, which sets the tone for a version of the game we may never experience. It shows Jade and Pey’j on the side of the route with a broken hover car, every bit Pey’j snorts and digests passing flies. Quite a change from what we eventually saw at E3 2017!

In 2009, meanwhile, a leaked video—which looks similar target gameplay footage—shows an acrobatic Jade winding her style through a decorated urban center every bit she climbs, runs, takes out guards, and eventually grabs hold of a helicopter and escapes. Notwithstanding, later that summer, Ubisoft confirmed that the game would not yet begin full production.

In the years since, we’ve seen diverse teases and confirmations of its continued development, with Ubisoft acknowledging piece of work on information technology in 2014 and 2016.

And so, tardily in 2016, Ancel affirmed that they were total steam alee in pre-production, which Ubisoft besides confirmed.

According to Ancel, the squad has been working on the game attentively since Rayman Legends shipped in 2013, and that before work on the game had been halted due to technical limitations back and then.

Beyond Good and Evil 2: What we’d like to see

Well, nosotros’d like to see the actual game most of all. The trailer is rich and inviting, and clearly shows a lot of work and attending being paid to Beyond Good and Evil 2’south game globe. It tin can ship our imaginations wandering into so many different directions, which is the problem: how will this vision coalesce into a cohesive game? We just don’t know.

Ancel’s trailer breakdown video offers some hints, with the hope of a huge, vertical world, cooperative online play of some sort, and the ability to jet off into infinite without worrying near loading screens or other frustrating breaks in the action. Information technology sounds massively ambitious, just that’s very much in line with Ubisoft’southward modern approach: the company does vast open up worlds now, and nearly all of its AAA properties follow some version of that mold.

Our hope is that Across Good and Evil’s spirit doesn’t get lost in the vastness of that open concept, and that the game retains its individuality despite opening up and bringing in some level of multiplayer activity. Based on the trailer, nosotros are definitely encouraged about the tone and distinctiveness of the game, although besides the whole thing of how the actual game looks and plays, there are withal questions about
when
we’ll become to play it and on which devices.

Hopefully nosotros don’t have to look besides long to go some concrete answers. On the other hand, it has been many years since the starting time game released, and nine years since this sequel was revealed, so information technology’s clear that Ubisoft is happy to take its time to get this correct. Allow’s hope the long expect truly pays off.

Beyond Skillful and Evil ii: Will there be a beta?

There will! Ubisoft confirmed during E3 2022 that Across Good and Evil 2 volition take a beta. Notwithstanding, Michel Ancel did say that Ubisoft was aiming for a playable beta past the end of 2022 and at present that we’re well into 2020 it seems unlikely that the beta will be alive and playable for a while yet.

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