“Thank you for everyone who has reached out to me over the past few days in regards to recent news at Ubisoft,” he wrote. “Myself, my team and our project Beyond Good and Evil 2 are unaffected by the recent changes.”

“Needless to say, I am saddened by the cancellations that has affected my colleagues in other parts of Ubisoft and the industry. I urge everyone – myself included – to offer support whenever and however they can during these times.“

Mesmar capped off his message by mentioning that the team remains “committed and focused on delivering a remarkable game for our players to enjoy.”

Beyond Good and Evil 2‘s survival amidst Ubisoft’s recent cancellations came to light through rumors, with sources noting that the company has invested more than $500 million in its development so far. The current iteration of the project has been in development since 2017, and let’s not forget about its initial announcement in 2008.

Shortly after these rumors surfaced, Ubisoft itself released a statement where it reaffirmed that Beyond Good and Evil 2 remains one of the focal points of its “Open World Adventures” strategy. “Beyond Good and Evil will be part of Creative House 4, dedicated to immersive fantasy worlds and narrative-driven universes. Beyond Good and Evil 2 remains a priority for us in the context of our strategy centered around Open World Adventures,” said the company.

Ubisoft announced its major changes last week, confirming that it had cancelled five projects, including Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake as part of larger overhauls with its operations. This was described by the company as a “major organizational, operational, and portfolio reset to reclaim creative leadership and restore sustainable growth.”

Part of this is the company’s new approach to development, which revolves around five “Creative Houses”, each of which will be in charge of certain franchises, genres, and even market segments. Creative House 2, for instance, will work on competitive and co-operative shooters, with franchises like Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell and The Division. Creative House 5, on the other hand, will work on casual and family-friendly games like Just Dance, Ketchapp and Uno.

Ubisoft has also confirmed that it has started working on four new IPs, one of which is the recently-acquired March of Giants—a MOBA that will have a focus on “tactical depth” and “meaningful team play”.

While you wait for Beyond Good and Evil 2 to come out someday, you can spend time with the seminal first game, which is currently available in the form of its 20th Anniversary Edition release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. Check out our review for more details.

“Beyond Good and Evil will be part of Creative House 4, dedicated to immersive fantasy worlds and narrative-driven universes. Beyond Good and Evil 2 remains a priority for us in the context of our strategy centered around Open World Adventures.”

Which is all well and good, if not for the fact that it was first announced in 2008 and re-announced at E3 2017. Development has seen numerous delays and departures of creative figures, including Michel Ancel, who directed the original. He would later claim that there wasn’t a “single big villain but a sum of key concerns, unresolved at the level of the managers, of which I was a part” that contributed to the sequel’s problems.

The last “official” update from Ubisoft was in June 2024, when it assured that Beyond Good and Evil 2 was still in development. However, a job listing from November 2025 also provided evidence of its ongoing production, but at this point, it’s difficult to see how far it’s progressed (if at all).

If it’s any consolation, at least Ancel’s other notable creation, Rayman, is apparently making some headway. The Australian Certification Board recently rated Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition, and rumors indicate that Rayman Legends is getting a remake. If the latter performs well, we may even see Rayman 4 in development at some point, but it probably wouldn’t release before 2030.

These sources have noted that the rocky development of Beyond Good and Evil 2 has involved constant changes and pushbacks, and has cost Ubisoft more than $500 million so far. However, the company seemingly still sees value in continuing its development.

The development of Beyond Good and Evil 2 has been a storied one, and the title has reportedly gone through several reboots along the way. The current iteration of the title has been noted as in development since 2017, which would mean that it has been worked on in some form for almost an entire decade. The game was originally announced all the way back in 2008 with a short teaser, and if it eventually does come out, it will be considered to have the longest development time in gaming history.

The last time there was any mention of Beyond Good and Evil 2 was a job listing from November. It was for a Lead Quest Designer, and confirmed that the title is made with Ubisoft’s proprietary Voyager engine. Among the responsibilities of the role are to craft main and secondary quests that offer “significant choices” and “engaging consequences”.

Back in December 2024, former Ubisoft veteran and Beyond Good and Evil creator Michel Ancel spoke about the management issues that caused the long development period for Beyond Good and Evil 2. Rather than there being one big individual problem, he noted that the project had suffered from “a whole series of key issues that remained unresolved at management level, including myself.”

“In the end, it’s all a case of passionate managers who didn’t get along,” he said. “I believe that some time ago, these people were dismissed, and the project found a certain balance with new managers. These management problems are, of course, very damaging for the teams. All this goes to show that it’s not an easy job: lots of egos and lots at stake, with clearly room for improvement in terms of human management.”

Ubisoft itself had reiterated that Beyond Good and Evil 2 is “still in development” back in June 2024. The statement was made leading up to the release of Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition.

As for Ubisoft, its organizational overhaul involves splitting the company up into five distinct “Creative Houses”, each of which will be responsible for specific genres and franchises. Along with this, the company has also confirmed that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake has been cancelled, and that it will continue with its cost-cutting measures. In response, French game industry union Solidaires Informatique has called for a half-day strike asking the company to stop with its cost-cutting, offer more support for remote work, and provide its employees with “decent” pay raises this year.

Rumors of a new Rayman title began last year in October and gained further momentum when Ubisoft confirmed it had started an “exploration phase” for the brand. Subsequent job listings also indicated that a new triple-A title in the franchise was in development, but its progress is currently unknown.

Rayman Legends is the last major Rayman-focused title, released in August 2013 to extensive acclaim. The platforming icon would also receive a dedicated story DLC in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, even though the turn-based tactical strategy title failed to really meet the publisher’s expectations.

In the meantime, to celebrate Rayman’s 30th anniversary, Ubisoft will release concept art, interviews with the development teams and behind-the-scenes details. Stay tuned for more updates.

The job listings have since been taken down by Ubisoft, indicating that the company might have accidentally posted them earlier than it intended to. However, the listings for both positions can be seen on the Internet Archive. Both listings also indicate that the Rayman game will be developed at Ubisoft Milan.

“Ubisoft Milan is looking for a Senior Game Designer who will work on the Rayman brand,” reads one of the listings. “The ideal candidate has a proven and solid experience as Game Designer in the videogame industry with in-depth understanding of how to define, prototype and implement game systems within the scope of the project and following the Game direction, making sure to capture the gameplay feel, while still being fun and accessible.”

Aside from the fact that both positions are for development on a AAA Rayman game, however, neither of the listings reveal any more details about what kind of game it could be. The fact that one of the listings is for a 3D gameplay animator does indicate that it likely won’t be a 2D sidescroller like Rayman Origins and its sequel Rayman Legends. The title could also potentially be something along the lines of the Mario + Rabbids titles.

Back in October, Ubisoft had indicated that it was exploring a return to the Rayman franchise. According to the company, its studios at Montpellier and Milan would be heading up the project, and that the project was still in its early stages. Rayman franchise creator Michel Ancel was also said to be involved in a consultant role “to ensure consistency with the universe.”

Ubisoft has been largely quiet about the Rayman franchise since the last mainline game in the franchise – Rayman Legends – was released back in 2013. Rumours from back in 2024, however, indicated that a remake of a Rayman might be in the works at Milan. According to these rumours, the title was being worked by a part of the development team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

The last major release by Ubisoft Milan was side-scrolling metroidvania game Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. It was released back in January 2024 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. The game was eventually also released on macOS, as well as Android and iOS later on. For more details, check out our review.

Rumours have indicated that more than 1.3 million copies of the title had been sold as of January 2025. Ubisoft has confirmed that it has “well over” 2 million players. Other rumours have indicated that the team behind the game had pitched a sequel to Ubisoft, which had unfortunately been rejected. According to reports, the reason given for the rejection was so that long-term sales for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown wouldn’t get cannibalised.

A recent leak claimed that a Rayman remake was in development at Ubisoft Milan, and that series creator Michel Ancel was serving as a consultant on the project, with his involvement raising concerns for some in the development team due to past reports alleging toxic leadership issues. 

Now, Ubisoft seems to have confirmed the same in a statement. In a statement to journalist Stephen Totilo (which he shared on Twitter), a Ubisoft representative has stated that the company’s Milan and Montpellier studios has “recently started an exploration phase on the Rayman brand”, and that the project in question (whatever it is) is “still in the early stages”. 

The representative also confirmed that Ancel is indeed consulting on the project in order to “ensure consistency within the universe”.

Of course, this isn’t an explicit confirmation that a new Rayman game (or a remake, as the leak alleges) is coming, but it is very strong indication of the same, at the very least. 

There are even studios like Ubisoft Montpellier (currently working on Beyond Good and Evil 2), Ubisoft Montreal (Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake) and Ubisoft Singapore (Skull and Bones). While past Ubisoft projects have had multiple studios as support, Assassin’s Creed Shadows probably has the highest amount at 15.

Launching on November 15th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC (including day one on Ubisoft+), Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set in late Sengoku era Japan. Shinobi Naoe and samurai Yasuke team up to combat injustice and corruption in society while pursuing their own goals. Check out the trailer breakdown here for more details.

Permadeath mode, as the name suggests, ends the game if the player dies once. It’s available when starting a new game, and those who best it will receive a new outfit, Holo Chroma. Beating Immortal difficulty on Permadeath unlocks the Gold outfit.

Speedrun Mode challenges players to complete the title as quickly as possible and will track their best attempts. Players who beat it in under 10 hours on any difficulty will receive the Swift Sargon outfit. Other quality-of-life features include purchasing Treasure Maps from Fariba in Haven using Time Crystals.

Upon finishing the story, a map revealing the locations of all remaining lore items becomes available to purchase. Check out the other new features below and full update notes here. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is playable on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. You can read our review here.

PATCH NOTES:

Quality of Life

New accessibility options were added to the game:

• New option to enable ‘Omnidirectional Parry’
  – Allowing you to parry an attack coming from behind, above or below you
• Custom Difficulty parameters range extended
  – Notably: The Parry Difficulty can now be set to “Very Easy”
  – Enemy Damage and Enemy Health have wider ranges
• New ‘Auto Athra refill’ option in Custom Difficulty
• New option to ‘Hide the HUD’
• New option to adjust background Audio level.
• Misc: Support of 120Hz on Xbox Series S

As a new story in the Prince of Persia series, The Lost Crown focuses on Sargon, a member of the Immortals. After Prince Ghassan’s kidnapping, he ventures to Mount Qaf for the rescue, discovering new time-bending powers and battling all kinds of threats.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is estimated to offer 25 hours of gameplay, with an extensive suite of accessibility and difficulty options. For more details, check out our review – we awarded it a 9 out of 10. You can also play the free demo, though progress doesn’t carry over.

Along with early access, the $59.99 Deluxe Edition includes the Warrior Within and Immortal outfits (which are cosmetic-only), the Prosperity Bird Amulet for finding “hidden treasures”, and a Digital Adventure Guide.

https://twitter.com/princeofpersia/status/1746940347857428482

There’s the Immortal outfit for protagonist Sargon, which is cosmetic but still looks snazzy. The Prosperity Bird Amulet will reveal “hidden treasures” (and even those in plain sight, as seen in the trailer). Finally, there’s the Digital Adventure Guide for potentially more in-depth tips on surviving Mount Qaf. Of course, you also get the Warrior Within outfit available as a pre-order bonus.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown launches on January 18th for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. A free demo is available on January 11th. Head here for more details on the game’s resolution and frame rate for consoles, or check out the various difficulty and accessibility settings.