Michel Ancel explained what went wrong with Beyond Good and Evil 2

The creator of Rayman and Beyond Good and Evil, Michel Ancel, who left Ubisoft in 2020, shared details of the development of the long-suffering Beyond Good and Evil 2 in an interview with the Superpouvoir portal.

Image source: Ubisoft

Let’s remember that Beyond Good and Evil 2 was confirmed back in 2008 and reintroduced in 2017, but development continues to stall – the project is still several years away from release.

According to Ansel, in the case of Beyond Good and Evil 2 (and other games), the team began work without fully understanding how long and complex it would be, which led to too many disputes between “passionate managers.”

«The art director wanted to redo everything over and over again, the head of development wanted a dungeon generation game, and I dreamed of a space adventure. We couldn’t come to an agreement, and the game director took the project in other directions,” Ancel said.

Still from the 2008 teaser

In situations without clear leadership, Ansel added, the teams themselves suffer the most. To resolve conflicts, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot visited the office, but his efforts were not enough.

Ancel doesn’t blame himself for all of the game’s ills – there is no single villain in the story, just a series of “unresolved key issues” – but admitted that he should have “better defended the project, been more involved and reconciled the employees.”

Previously, Ubisoft confirmed that the development of Beyond Good and Evil 2 continues, and the project has changed its creative director. With new management, Ansel assured, the game has “found some balance.”