Former Ubisoft designer and creator Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil Michel Ancel has lifted the lid on part of the troubled development of Beyond Good & Evil 2.
In an interview for a French newspaper Superpower (through VGC), a former Ubisoft employee who left in 2020 to work in a wildlife sanctuary, Ancel said: “Passion is an incredible energy, but it can also lead to conflict between enthusiasts. In Beyond Good & Evil 2, for example, there was is too much trouble between managers.”
Ancel points out a handful of conflicts and changes among the development team, including an art director who “wanted to redo everything over and over again,” a game director who apparently “wanted to make a generated dungeon game,” which was the opposite of what Ancel wanted. Ancel was previously the game director, before leaving Ubifost.
“In situations like this, the teams are scattered and they don't know who is in charge and who makes the decisions,” continues Ancel, saying that, in his eyes, “the producer should bring order to the situation, but that didn't happen.”
He told Superpouvoir that Yves Guillemot, co-founder, CEO and president of Ubisoft, had to come to the studio in Montpellier “to get things back on track”, but it was not enough and the current game director “continued in his obstinacy. ” He also wished he had spoken more, saying, “Beyond Good & Evil 2 is the only game where I don't think I've ever questioned the decision. I'd be happy to talk about it with all the detractors.”
While he puts the development problems down to “passionate managers who don't get their way”, he says he believes most of the people mentioned have been “removed” and that a new balance has been found with new managers.
“There wasn't just one big villain, but a whole series of key issues that went unaddressed at the management level, myself included.” Ancel concludes: “I have my share of responsibility and I should have defended the project better, been more present and more conciliatory with the staff.”
At the time of Ancel's departure, French newspaper Libération published a report accusing the creator of toxic leadership in Beyond Good & Evil 2. Ancel acknowledged the report and claimed he was cooperating with investigators, but vehemently denied the allegations. It also came months after allegations of abuse, harassment and sexual misconduct — five former executives were later arrested in 2023.
Despite leaving Ubisoft more than four years ago, Michel Ancel has since reunited with the developer and is working alongside the Montpellier-based studio on a new Rayman project.
Of course, this all comes amid more turmoil for Ubisoft, which includes talks with Tencent about buyout terms after a poor year for profits.
Beyond good and evil 2 works indeed there is, readers — Ubisoft confirmed it again earlier this year after the release of Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition, an enhanced edition of the iconic GameCube game. We don't know what platforms the game will come to, or if it's even Nintendo-related, but at this rate, we're definitely looking at the next generation.
Do you think we'll see Beyond Good & Evil 2 next year? Share your thoughts below.
