Ubisoft has been very silent about Beyond Good and Evil 2 recently. The game in question is an upcoming open world action-adventure title standing to be a prequel to Beyond Good and Evil (2003). Well, in a quietly released blog post about the game, it highlights hybrid blood sports — where hybrid slaves and renegade human clones fight each other to the death — and Death Races, where the top space racers take on one of Zhou Yuzhu pet pilots or “each other” for prizes.
Although the multiplayer game that is Beyond Good and Evil 2 sports a single-player mode, Ubisoft has noted that it will require a constant internet connection to play, even though the devs behind the game stated they didn’t want to force people into playing online.
Of course, this opens up Beyond Good and Evil 2 to be a live-service title or one that could feature egregious microtransaction (MTX) practices. However, time will tell what Ubisoft’s plans are for Beyond Good and Evil 2 online model and if it will have controversial MTX features.
Moving on to something that is a staple in the last Beyond Good and Evil title is racing. The first installment that released during 2003 sported a race mode; back on December 23rd, 2018, a fan on Discord named Folezicle asked Ubisoft if underground cultures (such as street racing or niche music scenes), as well as nightlife, would be present in the prequel. Here was Ubisoft’s answer:
“The answer is yes: we will explore underground cultures in the game. The largest will be the one carried by Space Pirates, but also by Hybrids, who have their own beliefs and myths.”
Although the above reply indirectly answered the question, a new blog post published on March 13th, 2019, answers said query in full and then some:
“Far from the fancy showrooms, luxurious shops and gardens, and impressive temples at the city’s traditional heart, an entertainment empire welcomes System 3’s tourists, gamblers, and thrill-seekers, bringing Ganesha City residents and tourists alike an array of food, drink, sports, casinos… and many more, well let’s just say, carnal pleasures…
Here on the waterfront, an Entertainment Corporation runs the business of fun. An arena hosts extreme sports events, such as hybrid blood sports, where hybrid slaves and renegade human clones fight each other to the death, much like the gladiators of Old Earth. On another day, you might find Death Races, where the best space racers can take on one of Zhou Yuzhu pet pilots… or each other!
Bet on yourself and you might win a whole lot of moolah! Remember Zhou? Well, he’s the official head of the Entertainment Corporation who runs this district in Ganesha City and the man, uh… pig, who keeps the dark underbelly of this sprawling district as dangerous as it is fascinating.”
If you don’t know who Zhou Yuzhu is, he’s the hybrid pig in the image below:
Given that Ubisoft is on the list of participating companies for E3 2019 expect something to pop up related to Beyond Good and Evil 2 at the upcoming games convention.
Although I’m not hyped if you happen to be, do know Beyond Good and Evil 2 will release on “many platforms” — according to director Michel Ancel. The exact date may not be a thing until late 2019 or sometime in 2020 due to the beta’s release window being Q4 2019.
