In a rare ray of positivity cutting through Ubisoft’s ongoing apocalypse, Beyond Good & Evil 2 creative director Fawzi Mesmar has assured fans that the long-suffering project is alive and kicking, unaffected by the publisher’s brutal restructuring announced last week.
Posted on LinkedIn 5 days ago, Mesmar’s message is the first direct word from the team since Ubisoft culled six games, shuttered studios, and slashed jobs in a desperate bid for survival.
This comes hot on the heels of an Insider Gaming report confirming BGE2’s survival, with a Ubisoft spokesperson adding: “Beyond Good & Evil 2 remains a priority for us in the context of our strategy centred around Open World Adventures.”
The game now slots into Creative House 4, Ubisoft’s new division for “immersive fantasy worlds and narrative-driven universes” alongside brands like Anno, Rayman, and (ironically) the freshly axed Prince of Persia.
Ubisoft’s January 21 press release painted a grim picture: a “major organizational, operational and portfolio reset” to slash €200 million in costs over two years, on top of €100 million already cut.
The company restructured into five specialized Creative Houses, each handling production and publishing for specific genres:
| Creative House | Focus | Key Brands/Studios |
| CH1 |
Blockbuster franchises
|
Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six
|
| CH2 |
Competitive/co-op shooters
|
The Division, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell
|
| CH3 |
Live-service
|
For Honor, The Crew, Skull & Bones
|
| CH4 |
Immersive fantasy/narrative
|
Anno, Rayman, Prince of Persia, Beyond Good & Evil
|
| CH5 |
Casual/family-friendly
|
Just Dance, UNO, Hungry Shark
|
Ubisoft has already canned six games, including the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake and four unannounced titles (three new IPs, one mobile). Seven others delayed for “enhanced quality.” Studios hit: Halifax (71 jobs), Stockholm (closure), plus cuts at Abu Dhabi (29), RedLynx (60), Massive (55), and up to 200 at Paris HQ. CEO Yves Guillemot called it “difficult but necessary” to refocus on open-world adventures and GaaS.
First teased at Ubidays 2008 with a tech demo, Beyond Good and Evil 2 entered full vaporware territory after a 2017 E3 re-reveal as an online prequel reboot. Creator Michel Ancel bailed in 2020 amid abuse allegations and endless restarts; creative director Emile Morel died suddenly in 2023. Procedural “Space Monkey” tech promised infinite planets but delivered silence with last major update being 20 minutes of 2023 anniversary gameplay. At Ubisoft Montpellier, burnout probes in 2023 highlighted the hellish scope: rumored $500+ million sunk, 17+ years dev time (current iteration ~9 years). No platforms, no date, just eternal hype.
Mesmar’s vow of a “remarkable game” is heartening, especially as BGE2 aligns with Ubisoft’s open-world pivot. But with no release window, a checkered original (2003 cult flop), and Ubisoft bleeding cash (€1B FY26 loss forecast), this feels like optimism on life support. Fans have waited nearly two decades. Will Creative House 4 be the miracle, or just another pivot to irrelevance? Stay tuned… if you dare.
