Earlier today, a remastered version of Ubisoft's GameCube, PS2, and Xbox classic Beyond Good & Evil called Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition was accidentally made available to download, despite Ubisoft having never officially announced the title.
Inevitably, this led to a bunch of confused gamers downloading the game and posting screenshots of the title online (some of which didn't exactly look too great) before the remaster was eventually pulled offline.
Ubisoft has now issued a statement on the whole debacle on its Twitter account, confirming that this was indeed a mistake and that the game is actually intended to be released next year in early 2024, which is also when we can expect more news about the title. It also tried to reassure fans that the version that was accidentally released was not indicative of the quality of the final game and that they are dedicated to delivering a title that meets the high expectations of fans.
Here is the full statement taken from a series of tweets from the Beyond Good and Evil 2 Twitter account:
"Well, looks like the cat’s out of the bag, dagnammit. Happy 20th anniversary to Beyond Good & Evil! While we cannot wait to show you more about this special edition, more news to come in early 2024!
"An early development version of Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition was recently released to some Ubisoft+ subscribers by mistake. We apologize for any confusion and want to assure our community that this version is not indicative of the final game.
"As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Beyond Good & Evil, our commitment to delivering a game that meets the high expectations of our fans is unwavering.
"We're excited to announce that the official launch is set for early 2024, and we're dedicated to making it an experience that truly honors the legacy of the original. Thank you for your understanding and continued support."
It's a bizarre turn of events and we have to wonder how something like this could happen. Nevertheless, it's great to hear that Beyond Good & Evil will be getting a new lease on life and we hope that some of the issues depicted in the screenshots being shared are ironed out ahead of its proper release.