Beyond Good and Evil may be coming to modern consoles. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) recently released a listing for a 20th-anniversary edition of the Ubisoft classic – a title the publisher has yet to announce. Did the ESRB just accidentally leak its existence? The listing was spotted by Twitter user @MACOS380. However, it has since been deleted from the website. Could Ubisoft’s Beyond Good and Evil be getting a re-release for modern consoles as the long-overdue sequel continues to be MIA?
ESRB Classifies Yet-To-Be-Announced Title
It seems Ubisoft may be planning to release an updated version of Beyond Good and Evil to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the cult title. The existence of a Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition hasn’t been officially announced, and it seems, the ESRB beat Ubisoft to it. Twitter user @MACOS380 spotted a listing from the US game ratings board classifying a yet-to-be-announced Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition.
The listing describes the title as “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.” That sums up the happenings in Beyond Good and Evil pretty well, hinting at the authenticity of the listing. It goes on to describe the title:
From a third-person perspective, players explore fantasy locations, take photos of evidence, solve puzzles, and fight robot and alien enemies. Combat is sometimes fast-paced, with players using melee weapons (e.g., staffs, torches) to strike stylized enemies that generally break apart or vanish into puffs of smoke. One boss battle depicts a squid-like alien stabbed in the eye, with yellow-green splatter effects.
The unannounced Beyond Good and Evil edition was listed as coming to Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X/S. The ESRB gave the title a rating of 10+. Naming animated blood and fantasy violence as the reasons for the classification.
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A Long-Awaited Return of Beyond Good and Evil?
Beyond Good and Evil was initially released in 2003 for PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, the original Xbox, and PC. So, 2023 would indeed be the 20th anniversary of Ubisoft’s action-adventure game that has established quite the cult following over the past two decades. It was already re-released in 2011 when an upgraded HD version of the game came to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. While Xbox players can still play the title via backward compatibility, the game is currently not available for modern PlayStation consoles.
While Ubisoft hasn’t made any announcements for a re-release to coincide with the title’s 20th anniversary, its existence is likely. The game was well received when it first launched, and fans have been waiting for a sequel to the sci-fi adventure for a decade and a half now. After all, Ubisoft first hinted at its plans for Beyond Good and Evil 2 back in 2008.
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The publisher made an official announcement along with an impressive cinematic trailer almost 10 years later at E3 2017. The game reappeared at E3 2018 along with the announcement that Ubisoft would be partnering with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s production company HitRecord to create the game. Showcasing a rather ambitious title that lets players travel through space and explore different planets had fans excited about a return of Beyond Good and Evil.
Since then, however, the title has almost disappeared from the surface. Only brief comments here and there keep indicating that the sequel is indeed still in active development. In 2021, the publisher reportedly said it was “too early” to share more details, suggesting it was still stuck in early production.
As of right now, it’s pure guesswork if and when Beyond Good and Evil 2 will still see the light of day. But this leak hinting at a Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition could excite fans who are eager to re-experience the sci-fi adventures of Jade and Pey’j. How about you? Would a re-release of the original title for modern consoles excite you? Let us know in the comments and on our social feeds!
Source: Twitter
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