Against all odds, the long-dormant sequel is somehow still alive. Rik Godwin, a narrative director and lead writer at Ubisoft, announced on social media that he has been actively working on Beyond Good and Evil 2 over the past two months. The statement is not a leak or an accidental slip-up: Godwin said he checked before posting, signaling that Ubisoft is comfortable issuing yet another vague confirmation that the project exists. In a striking turn of events, the publisher is reportedly assigning additional developers to the title even as it grapples with an endless development cycle and mounting financial distress.
Ubisoft has long made oblique references to the game. As far back as June, brand director Loïc Gounon confirmed in an interview with Polygon that the project remains in active development. Godwin’s more personal announcement, however, carries extra weight because it suggests the company is still willing to pour fresh resources into a title that has spent more than a decade in the pipeline. That willingness stands in sharp contrast to the broader corporate picture, where the publisher has been trimming its slate rather than expanding it.
A Publisher in Freefall
The context surrounding Godwin’s update is sobering. A few months ago, Ubisoft reported a €1.3 billion ($1.48 billion) operating loss for its fiscal year ending in March 2026. The company’s stock price plummeted after it launched a major restructuring in January, reorganizing itself into five creative houses dedicated to specific genres. As part of that overhaul, Ubisoft canceled development on six games, including the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, and cut 1,200 jobs during its previous fiscal year. Against that backdrop, continuing to staff a sequel to a game that did not sell particularly well on its original release is a bold and unusual decision.
I’ve been working on the game for the past two months.
Rik Godwin, narrative director and lead writer at Ubisoft
While Godwin did not elaborate on the scope of his involvement or the project’s current state, the mere fact that a lead writer is embedded in the title is telling. It implies ongoing narrative work and, by extension, that the game has not been fully shelved. The community has responded with a mixture of cautious optimism and disbelief, given the title’s reputation as one of the most protracted development stories in gaming history.
An 18-Year Odyssey
Beyond Good and Evil 2 was originally announced in May 2008, accompanied by a trailer featuring protagonist Jade and the pigman Pey’j. What followed was an extraordinarily long wait. Ubisoft and the game’s original director, Michel Ancel—creator of Beyond Good and Evil and Rayman—issued conflicting statements about the project’s status before Ancel confirmed in 2016 that development was on hold while his team focused on a new Rayman game. Then, on June 12, 2017, Ubisoft showcased a major new trailer at E3, highlighting ambitious interplanetary travel. Ancel departed the studio in 2020, and since then Ubisoft has periodically claimed development continues without offering any concrete updates.
The delays have earned the title a notorious place in gaming lore. In 2022, Beyond Good and Evil 2 broke Duke Nukem Forever’s record for being the longest in-development AAA game ever. Considering the general state of the industry—where once-dominant franchises like Halo are being moved under new management due to underperformance—it is genuinely surprising that a struggling publisher is carrying on with the 18-plus-year development cycle of a sequel to a game that did not sell very well in the first place.
Looking Ahead
Ubisoft has not yet provided a release window, a concrete development update, or details on how the title fits into its restructured portfolio. The absence of specifics is consistent with the company’s pattern of vague reassurances over the years. If Godwin’s involvement marks a genuine revival rather than a symbolic gesture, fans may expect more tangible progress in the coming months—whether through new trailers, playable content, or a firmer timeline. Until then, the survival of Beyond Good and Evil 2 remains a remarkable outlier in an industry increasingly focused on consolidation and cost-cutting. For now, the sequel is alive, and Ubisoft appears willing to keep it that way.
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