Skip to main content

You, yes you, can contribute content to ‘Beyond Good & Evil 2’

The more we see of Beyond Good & Evil 2, the more it’s clear that Ubisoft has lofty ambitions for the follow-up to the 2003 cult classic. Along with showing off a new cinematic trailer and pre-alpha gameplay footage, Ubisoft announced an interesting partnership for the game during its E3 2018 press conference.

Recommended Videos

Ubisoft has partnered with HitRecord, a company founded by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt to let fans create content that could appear in Beyond Good & Evil 2‘s large open world. Gordon-Levitt explained that HitRecord is a place where people collaborate on projects such as short films, but this will be the first time HitRecord will work on a video game. The Space Monkey program will allow users to see their own artwork, music, and other content inside the world of Beyond Good & Evil 2.

Beyond Good & Evil 2: Create & Collaborate with HitRECord & the Space Monkey Program | Ubisoft [NA]

It’s not quite clear how this will work at this time, but more details on the Space Monkey program will be released at a Ubisoft community event this fall. Gordon-Levitt did confirm, however, that users will be paid for their contributions.

If it sounds like Ubisoft is outsourcing development on its open world to fans, that may be partially true, but the latest trailer suggests that Ubisoft has a grand story in mind for the prequel as well. Pey’j, the pig, was once again prominently featured, but the character that stole the show was none other than Jade, the lead protagonist from the original.

However, both the trailer and words said by the developers suggest that Jade will be the villain in the prequel. That’s quite the turn and should make for an interesting storyline. Since we know Jade eventually becomes good, we imagine she won’t be villainous for the whole game.

The game takes place at the end of the 24th century and the developers referred to it as a space opera on stage. That’s a curious description, but the new trailer definitely seems to imply space travel will be a primary feature.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 has had an up-and-down development cycle dating all the way back to 2007. The first attempt at a follow-up began more than a decade ago. Series creator Michael Ancel originally foresaw it as a direct sequel to the original. Those plans were later scrapped, Beyond Good & Evil 2 disappeared until late 2016 when Ancel confirmed the follow-up would be a prequel.

We still have no idea when to expect Beyond Good & Evil 2. Hopefully, we will learn more at the community event this fall.

Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
E3 2021: Starfield, Breath of the Wild 2, and more games we expect to see

The E3 season has definitely snuck up on us. It feels like just yesterday we were all still bundled up in our winter clothes, and suddenly -- bam! Now our days will be filled with refreshing livestreams of big game announcements. Until the event begins, we can only speculate as to what will be shown, which is a time-honored E3 tradition in its own right. So while we are waiting for the actual announcements, let’s ponder on the games we're likely to see on the E3 floor ... well, the digital one, that is.
Starfield

This one has been a long time coming. Starfield is Bethesda’s next big sci-fi game. The publisher announced Starfield at E3 2018, but there hasn't been much new information about it since. Bethesda’s Todd Howard has stated that a good portion of the game is currently playable, but we have not seen anything new since the vague 2018 teaser trailer. It has been heavily hinted that Starfield will be a centerpiece for the Bethesda conference at this year’s E3, so it's a safe bet that we will see at least something about this game during Microsoft and Bethesda's joint showcase.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

Read more
Everything we know about Beyond Good and Evil 2
beyond good and evil 2 release date trailer gameplay story news featured

Final Fantasy XV, Duke Nukem Forever, and Alien: Colonial Marines all endured "development hell," announced years (and sometimes decades) before launching, and undergoing multiple iterations and restarts during development. Although many of these games have released, there's one big title still stuck in limbo: Beyond Good and Evil 2. 

Going on 13 years of development -- some of which weren't spent on active development -- Beyond Good and Evil 2 is, unfortunately, still a few years away. In the meantime, here's what we know about the release date, pre-orders, multiplayer, and more.
The E3 2018 Beyond Good and Evil 2 trailer
Beyond Good & Evil 2: E3 2018 Cinematic Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

Read more
Is the Stardew Valley 1.6 update on consoles and mobile? Switch, PS5, Xbox, more
Stardew Valley

There are few cozy games as successful and beloved as Stardew Valley, so it's no wonder it has received regular updates since its 2016 release.

The 1.6 update for Stardew Valley was released back in March 2024 for PC, adding new festivals and events, NPC dialogues, farm types, more pets, and much more. Unfortunately, the update did not immediately release on consoles, leaving farmers playing on smartphones, Switch, Xbox or PlayStation waiting for all the new content.

Read more