Beyond Good & Evil 2 is reportedly being designed as a story-led solo adventure with no mandatory internet connection, while retaining co-op. That would move Ubisoft's space-pirate RPG away from the heavily connected multiplayer game it pursued earlier in development.
The change does not mean the game is nearing release. Origami's October 21 report, based on conversations with people close to development, says it remains in pre-production. Its next internal review is intended to secure approval to move into production.
Ubisoft's online-world pitch is still public
Solo play and co-op are not new promises for Beyond Good & Evil 2. Ubisoft's June 12, 2017 reveal already described exploring alone or with friends, but placed both within a large online environment spanning planets and moons.
The official game page still calls it an action-adventure RPG playable alone or in co-op, and describes an online playground. It presents the game as a prequel to the 2003 original, set in System 3, where players rise from lowly pirates to captains. Ubisoft has not confirmed the reported change to connection requirements.
According to Origami, the team pursued a much more connected design between 2019 and 2022, drawing inspiration from Fortnite and Destiny. Players would meet across multiple planets, with activities generated dynamically. That approach was progressively reduced to smaller matchmaking groups, then four-player teams and then two, before reaching the reported current direction.
The next review is about entering production
Origami reports that at least 250 people at Ubisoft Montpellier remain involved in pre-production. It describes repeatedly changing creative targets at internal reviews, including questions about combat and the core gameplay loop. The next gate seeks approval for an alpha stage and the start of production, when the team would begin adding playable content to an agreed design.
The report also describes growing uncertainty among staff about the project's future amid Ubisoft's restructuring. Some fear cancellation at the next review; others, worn down by years on the game, see cancellation as a chance to move on. Those are accounts of staff concerns, not an announced cancellation decision.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 has no release date. Origami does not specify when the next internal review will take place.