Ubisoft Accidentally Then On Purpose Releases ‘Beyond Good & Evil’ Remaster

Beyond Good & Evil, against all odds, has a 20th anniversary coming next year, and Ubisoft sort of stumbled their way to announcing it.

Ubisoft is a company that has been stepping on a comical amount of rakes these days. The biggest, most recent one came not even a full week ago when a “technical error” interrupted people playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey with a pop-up ad for Assassin’s Creed Mirage. This technical error, assuming that it wasn’t someone accidentally turning on their advertising Death Star because companies love to test to see if the frogs notice the water is boiling, is one among many.

The latest is a much more enjoyable surprise. However, it is no less intentional. Overnight, a surprise title appeared on the Xbox Store: Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition.

Though the title was pulled within hours, the cat was out of the bag, and earlier today, Ubisoft made the announcement official.

Ubisoft Releases (Then Announces) Beyond Good & Evil Remaster

Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition purports to be a remaster of the original game, whose sequel has been in development hell so long that it’s making Jodorowski’s Dune look completely achievable. And according to reports by some users, they were able to play the game.

In fact, not long after the game was removed from the Xbox Store, the title was still playable via Ubisoft+, the publisher’s eponymous subscription service. And while it is no longer available, those who downloaded it can still play it, though Ubisoft is Ubisofting at its finest and has made a copyright strike against any uploaded gameplay footage.

Faced with the game being actually out and the internet very much having a policy of no takebacks, Ubisoft officially announced the new title earlier today. In their post on Twitter/X, they explain that “an early development version of [the game] was recently released […] by mistake.” And the full game will be out in 2024 at some nebulous point.

More details are expected at The Game Awards this year because that’s the ultimate gaming commercial extravaganza with an awards show roped in the middle of it.

Twitter user Wario64, whose namesake would happily spoil the details of a surprise announcement, uploaded the now de-listed description from the Xbox Game Store, alongside a series of screenshots:

Swoop into the marvelous world of Hillys as action-reporter Jade to investigate the mysterious DomZ alien attacks alongside colorful characters, like her adoptive uncle Pey’j or the valiant Double H.

Embark on this epic adventure in up to 4K, 60 fps with improved graphics, controls, and audio, along with brand-new autosave and cross-save features. Enjoy exclusive new rewards as you explore the planet and discover more about Jade’s past in a new treasure hunt throughout Hillys.

Put your skills to the test thanks to the new speedrun mode and updated achievements, and learn more about the game’s development and secrets in the anniversary gallery!

Armed with her daï-jo and faithful camera, Jade’s adventure will get you to freely explore Hillys, combat creatures large and small, infiltrate dangerous areas, solve enigmatic puzzles, play addictive mini-games, race the best hovercraft pilots, and take pictures of the whole experience.

Be ready to dive into a trailblazing blend of action gameplay and thrilling emotional cutscenes!

Beyond Good & Evil  20th Anniversary will soon join Beyond Good & Evil HD and the original Beyond Good & Evil, meaning that the original game will be released three times (over 20 years!) before Beyond Good & Evil 2 ever sees the light of day.

Author: J.R. Zambrano

Bell of Lost Souls Staff Writer and DM, J.R. covers RPGs of all stripes and on occasion eats sandwiches. You can ask him about either at [email protected]