We have some strange and sad news today as a high profile developer for a game that’s in development limbo has suddenly passed away.
The developer is Emile Morel, who at this time was the creative director of Beyond Good And Evil 2. As reported by IGN, Ubisoft has not made any official comment, but many of his colleagues and co-workers had posted about his passing across social networks. No cause of death has been reported.
Morel had been working for Ubisoft since 2009, with a particular career highlight being senior game designer for Rayman Legends. He had also previously been associate creative director on Beyond Good And Evil 2, and was promoted up after Jean-Marc Geffroy left the project. Morel was 40.
Beyond Good And Evil 2 itself seems to be a project with no clear future in sight. Technically, series creator Michael Ancel teased the sequel in 2003, the same year the original released. He had intended for the game to become a trilogy, but the commercial failure of the first Beyond Good And Evil put such ideas in the backburner.
Most press trace serious talk of Beyond Good And Evil 2 in 2007, when Ancel revealed in a Nintendo Power interview his plans to reuse the original game’s protagonist, Jade, in a new game.
Two separate trailers released in 2007 and 2009, but it was not until 2016 when Ubisoft officially announced the game, after Ancel shared some artwork for the game in development.
If you use this as the timeframe, then it’s likely that the actual development period for Beyond Good And Evil 2 has been seven years. However, some argue that using the 2007 trailer, that the project has already passed the official Guinness world record holder for Longest development period for a videogame, Duke Nukem Forever. (For what it’s worth, Guinness still hasn’t changed their records.)
In 2020, Ancel left Ubisoft himself, following allegations of abusive workplace behavior. He had also been alleged to have been a part of the toxic culture fostered by Ubisoft’s family owners and leads, the Guillemots.
These reports also accuse Ancel and his workplace behavior for being the cause of Beyond Good And Evil 2’s extended development time, because of multiple delays and restarts.
As of this time, Ubisoft is facing a few lawsuits related to these workplace allegations. However, Ubisoft has also stayed elusive when it comes to talking about the status and progress of Beyond Good And Evil 2.
Regardless of the extenuating circumstances, our thoughts are with Emile Morel, his friends, and family.
