Michel Ancel starts new studio, but remains at Ubisoft
Who confirms that he's working on Beyond Good & Evil 2.
Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel has started his own studio.
Dubbed Wild Sheep Studio, the new Montpellier-based indie outfit consists of 13 staffers and is working on an original game to be announced soon.
Ancel will remain at Ubisoft, however.
"We are fortunate to have some of the industry's finest talents, including Michel Ancel, working with us at our studio," said managing director of Ubisoft's Annecy, Paris and Montpellier studios, Xavier Poix in a statement to Eurogamer. "In addition to spending some of his time on this new venture, Michel is leading the creative development of select projects at Ubisoft Montpellier, including an extremely ambitious new title that is very close to his and the team's heart."
That last sentence is certainly tantalising to fans of Beyond Good & Evil since its sequel has been lost in limbo for ages, though Ubisoft has ensured everyone off and on that it's been in development since a teaser trailer surfaced in 2008.
When pressed for comment about this in light of recent events, Ubisoft confirmed to Eurogamer that the Rayman creator is in fact working on a Beyond Good & Evil sequel. Here's the exact statement the publisher offered on the matter:
"In many ways, BG&E is an inimitable game - it appeals to all generations of gamers and is an inspiration behind many of Ubisoft Montpellier's past and future games. It's still far too early to give many details about this new title, but what we can say is that while Michel and the team at Ubisoft Montpellier are working with the core tenets of BG&E, they're developing something that aspires to push past the boundaries of a proverbial sequel and leverages next-gen technologies to deliver a truly surprising, innovative and exceptional game. The entire team is excited about the direction this extremely ambitious project is taking, and we'll have more to share later, as it progresses."
That certainly sounds promising! Then again, Ancel and Ubisoft have been teasing this thing for over six years, so it's not 100 per cent certain that this is his next game. He might just be tinkering away at it a little at a time while pursuing other projects. Guess we'll see it when pigs fly, eh?
