The Beyond Good & Evil franchise, if indeed one can even truly call it a franchise, might be cursed. Whatever is going on behind the scenes at Ubisoft, fans can take solace in the fact that at least the series isn’t completely dead.
Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition was officially revealed today after much speculation and even a leak cluing gamers into its existence early. This remaster serves as an updated re-release for the much-beloved first game, putting it on modern consoles with an improved resolution, framerate, and a new coat of graphical paint. It even includes an additional “Treasure Hunt” mode, which seems to revolve around collecting artifacts from central protagonist Jade’s past.
That last point is of particular concern, as the still-upcoming Beyond Good & Evil 2 is slated to be a prequel that also explores Jade’s past. This additional mode would be a great way to set the stage for BGE2 and establish some of the history that will be explored in that game… whenever it actually releases, that is.
By far the most widely-publicized aspect of the ambitious sequel is its tumultuous development. Although it was first revealed in 2008, development began in earnest in 2003, meaning that Ubisoft has been working on the game in some capacity or another for more than 20 years, still without even the most tentative of release windows. The last time any gameplay was shown off was in 2020, and Ubisoft has been radio silent about the game since then.
One could call BGE2 Ubisoft’s Duke Nukem Forever if not for the fact that it now exceeds that game’s infamously long development time. A long line of reshuffled directors and producers that would put Ubisoft’s previous development hell victim Skull & Bones to shame means that this remaster is the first crumb of new content Beyond Good & Evil fans have gotten since the first game’s initial release back in 2003.
To be fair, what Ubisoft have shown of the sequel so far does look amazing: a sprawling, intricately detailed galaxy to explore, seamless traversal through hoverbikes and customizable spacecraft, and drop-in co-op, all wrapped up in a unique aesthetic that breaks away from the likes of Starfield. If even half of Ubisoft’s promises are fulfilled when the game drops, if it drops, it should be an easy contender for Game of the Year (even if that year is 2035). Until then, this remaster will have to tide fans over when it releases for all modern platforms on June 25.
