Beyond Good and Evil 2 Faces Another Setback

This year will mark the 20th anniversary of Beyond Good & Evil, Ubisoft's critically-acclaimed adventure game. Ubisoft Montpellier has been working on a follow-up for quite some time, but the project continues to suffer from countless delays and restarts. According to Kotaku, the sequel has hit another snag, as staff were reportedly informed last week that managing director Guillaume Carmona had left the company for an undisclosed reason. Kotaku also notes that the studio is currently under investigation from local authorities "over an unprecedented number of developers experiencing burnout and going on sick leave." A spokesperson for Ubisoft revealed steps the company is taking to avoid burnout.

"The health and wellness of our teams is an ongoing priority," the Ubisoft spokesperson told Kotaku. "Given the length of the development cycle with Beyond Good & Evil 2, the Montpellier development team is undergoing well-being assessments through a third-party for preventative measures and to evaluate where additional support may be needed."

Last year, Beyond Good and Evil 2 officially became the longest video game ever in development, overtaking a record originally set by Duke Nukem Forever. The first trailer for Beyond Good and Evil 2 was released all the way back in 2008, but the project has seen a steady stream of starts and stops over the last 14 years. A report last November stated that the current build of the game seemed to be in early development, and had seemingly been rebooted since the last time Ubisoft showcased the game.

At this point, it's hard to say when Beyond Good and Evil 2 might actually happen. The original game was a cult classic, but sold fairly poorly. After more than 20 years, it's hard to imagine a follow-up, or even a game that takes pace in that same universe. That might be a big contributing factor to the sequel's struggles, as Ubisoft tries to figure out exactly what to do with the game. One thing is for sure: fans are going to be waiting a very long time to see it.

Are you actually excited for Beyond Good and Evil 2? Do you think the sequel will ever happen? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!