Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition leaked by US ratings board

Ubisoft looks set to release an updated edition of Beyond Good & Evil to coincide with the game’s 20th anniversary this year.

As spotted by Twitter user @MACOS380, the US Entertainment Software Ratings Board has recently classified the unannounced Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition.

The game is listed as coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.

“This is an action-adventure game in which players assume the role of a reporter accompanied by a pig-like companion investigating a conspiracy on the planet of Hillys,” reads the product description.

“From a third-person perspective, players explore fantasy locations, take photos of evidence, solve puzzles, and fight robot and alien enemies.”

Ubisoft has been planning a sequel to 2003’s Beyond Good & Evil for the best part of two decades.

It first teased Beyond Good & Evil 2 with a trailer in 2008, although this was followed by almost a decade of silence before the title resurfaced at E3 2017, when the publisher revealed it would take the form of a prequel.

It was announced in August 2020 that a feature film adaptation of Beyond Good and Evil was also in the works at Netflix.

The following month, Beyond Good & Evil and Rayman creator Michel Ancel announced he was leaving Ubisoft Montpellier to focus on a new career in wildlife.

This February, a Kotaku report claimed Ubisoft Montpellier managing director Guillaume Carmona had left the studio amid a labour investigation by local government authorities.

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Beyond Good and Evil 2 studio head reportedly exits amid labour investigation

Authorities are said to be concerned about staff sickness and burnout at Ubisoft Montpellier

Three sources told the site that Carmona’s exit followed a year in which dozens of developers took extended leave for stress or sickness as the studio continued to struggle with development of Beyond Good & Evil 2.

According to the report, Beyond Good & Evil 2 was still not even technically in pre-production as Ubisoft Montpellier had yet to settle on a creative vision for the project.

And in July, Beyond Good & Evil 2 creative director Emile Morel passed away at the age of 40. The game designer also worked on Rayman Legends during 14 years with Ubisoft.