VGC relays a claim from French outlet Origami that Beyond Good & Evil 2 hasn’t started full production yet. The outlet says the game is still in pre-production 18 years after Ubisoft first announced it in 2008. Ubisoft has not announced a release date, platforms or window.
The report says several hundred people still work on the game, mainly at Ubisoft Montpellier. Origami’s sources say the core problem is that the team is still settling on what kind of game it’s making. Origami has form here: VGC notes it previously and correctly leaked that the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team had been disbanded.
A vision that keeps moving
Origami says that between 2019 and 2022, the plan was a multiplayer game spanning several planets, with players matched together. The idea was a “third place” where friends could hang out after work, in the vein of Destiny or Fortnite. That ambition reportedly shrank over time, from an online multiplayer game to a team-based game for four players, then for two.
The current direction is the opposite of the original pitch. Origami claims the game is now “solo first”, built around a strong story that can also be played in co-op. The tone has reportedly shifted as well. Sources say the project was once described internally as “Zelda in space”, and it now sits closer to Insomniac’s Spider-Man games.
That churn is the likely reason the game hasn’t progressed. A project that changes its core structure every few years can’t lock down a production plan, however many people are on the payroll. Michel Ancel, the game’s creator, offered his own diagnosis in 2024, when he said clashes between managers were the main problem during his time at the company. Ancel had left Ubisoft in 2020, saying he was quitting the industry to focus on a new career in wildlife.
Staff reportedly fear the end is near
Origami’s sources say the game has long seemed impervious to cancellation, but that this may now be changing. They point to Ubisoft’s restructuring and the layoffs that followed it. The report adds that there are seemingly no signs yet that the game is being cancelled.
That restructuring came in January, when Ubisoft announced a major company reset. It cancelled six games, delayed seven and closed two studios. Its development teams were also split into autonomous “creative houses”. Beyond Good & Evil 2 was confirmed as part of one of those houses, which surprised some people given how many projects were cut.
Creative director Fawzi Mesmar addressed the uncertainty at the time. In a LinkedIn post reported by VGC on 30 January, he said his team and the project were “unaffected by the recent changes”. He added that the team “remain[s] committed and focused on delivering a remarkable game for our players to enjoy.” Nothing in that statement addresses the pre-production claim, and Mesmar didn’t give a timeline.
What it means for fans
The game remains unreleased, with no official date, platform list or pricing, so there’s nothing to pre-order or plan around. The report describes a team still deciding what the game is, rather than one polishing a finished design. A slower, story-led single-player game is arguably a more realistic target than a persistent online universe, but it also means starting several systems over.
Stalled-project reports aren’t unique to games. Fast & Furious 11 reportedly hasn’t entered production, and a planned American Squid Game spinoff has reportedly been shelved at Netflix. Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed anything in this report. Any official word on the game’s status will most likely come from the company itself, not from leaks.
Has Beyond Good & Evil 2 been cancelled?
No. Origami’s sources say staff worry that Ubisoft’s restructuring could eventually end the project, but the report notes there are seemingly no signs of cancellation. Mesmar said in January that his team was “committed and focused” on the game.
When will Beyond Good & Evil 2 come out?
There’s no release date or window. If the report is accurate, the game hasn’t moved from pre-production into full production, so any launch would be well off.
Who is Origami?
It’s a French games publication. VGC says it previously leaked, correctly, that Ubisoft had disbanded the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team.
