Beyond Good & Evil 2 still in development, now with new creative director

Ubisoft's long-awaited Beyond Good & Evil 2 remains in development, and now has a new creative director taking the project forward.

Despite a record-breaking marathon on-again, off-again development cycle stretching back almost 20 years, Ubisoft appears to be demonstrating its commitment to finally getting Beyond Good & Evil 2 done by appointing company veteran Fawzi Mesmar as the game's new creative lead.

Mesmar has worked at Ubisoft for two decades - hey, that's nearly as long as Beyond Good & Evil 2 has been in development! - and previously served as the company's overall boss of creative development. He's a senior and experienced pair of hands, for a project that has gone through numerous iterations and various senior staffing changes over the years - including the departure of franchise creator Michel Ancel in 2020 after accusations of toxic behaviour, and the sad death in 2023 of Emile Morel, the game's previous creative director.

"With more than 20 years as an award-winning game designer and creative director, Mesmar has been instrumental in the successful launch of over 20 video games," a Ubisoft spokesperson told Eurogamer today.

"Mesmar previously collaborated with the Beyond Good & Evil 2 team as VP of Editorial. In his new role, he's focused on continuing to build upon the vision set forth by our late friend and colleague, Emile Morel."

It's been well over a year since Ubisoft last told Eurogamer that Beyond Good & Evil 2 remained in development despite various shake-ups at the publisher, and nothing has been seen of it since.

Still, the franchise has been kept alive by a polished 20th Anniversary re-release of the original Beyond Good & Evil, which includes a wealth of behind-the-scenes content plus all-new story content that directly sets up Beyond Good & Evil 2 (which, narratively, acts a prequel).

Discussion of Beyond Good & Evil 2 has bubbled up again this week in the wake of an Insider Gaming report which stated some staff who previously worked on Prince of Persia: The Last Crown had since joined the project.

Yesterday, Ubisoft also confirmed it had tapped Michel Ancel to consult on its plans for the future of the Rayman franchise.