Beyond Good and Evil 2 Development Pushes Staff to Breaking Point

Beyond Good and Evil 2, the sequel to the beloved classic has been in development for the past fifteen years. During this time, Ubisoft Montpellier, the game’s studio, has had to weather many bumps along the way. Now, reports have suggested that the studio is facing an “unprecedented” amount of burnout and sick leave among staff and has lost its managing director. This investigation from a local government agency has caused alarm and raised serious questions about whether or not the game will ever see the light of day.

Since its trailer in 2008, Beyond Good and Evil 2 has had a long and troubled development process. Kotaku reported that the studio had been the subject of an investigation by the Inspection du Travail, a French government agency, due to multiple staff members taking extended sick leave and eventually leaving the company altogether. In addition, the studio’s managing director, Guillaume Carmona, has not been returning to work and has disappeared from the project. To make matters worse, other staff members, such as the creative and game directors, have also left the project.

Ironically, Beyond Good and Evil 2 has officially broken Duke Nukem Forever’s record for the longest development time, a crown that was previously held by the notorious Duke Nukem Forever. Despite this, the game is still not in a playable state, with no indication of when it will be released. Ubisoft Montpellier has also been credited for other projects such as Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and Wildlands, but Beyond Good and Evil 2 is their most notable ongoing project.

Ubisoft has commented on this, saying that “the health and wellness of our teams is an ongoing priority” and that they are “undergoing well-being assessments through a third party for preventative measures and to evaluate where additional support may be needed.”

In conclusion, it is clear that numerous issues and a great deal of stress on the staff have marked the development of Beyond Good and Evil 2. While Ubisoft is doing the right thing by focusing on the well-being of its employees, the lengthy development, combined with the lack of any tangible progress, has left fans feeling dismayed and frustrated. With the game’s staff members in need of help, it remains to be seen whether or not the game will ever see the light of day.