Ubisoft’s ‘Beyond Good & Evil 2’ developer loses studio head amid labour investigation
Beyond Good & Evil 2 developer Ubisoft Montpellier has reportedly parted ways with its studio head, with reports claiming the company faces a labour investigation from local government authorities.
According to a report by Kotaku, Ubisoft Montpellier staff were told via email that managing director Guillaume Carmona had left Ubisoft. No reason for the departure was provided, with the email citing legal confidentiality.
Additionally, three anonymous sources familiar with the development of Beyond Good & Evil 2 have told Kotaku that France’s Inspection du Travail is carrying out a labour investigation of the studio, following a visit in December.
According to Kotaku, the investigation is due to issues surrounding burned-out developers and high levels of sick leave. The same sources claimed dozens of developers went on extended leave in 2022, including many project leads.
“The health and wellness of our teams is an ongoing priority,” a spokesperson for Ubisoft claimed in an email. “Given the length of the development cycle with Beyond Good & Evil 2, the Montpellier development team is undergoing well-being assessments through a third-party for preventative measures and to evaluate where additional support may be needed.”
Beyond Good & Evil 2 has faced a troubled development cycle, and remains unreleased despite Ubisoft teasing the game since 2008. The game was officially announced in 2017, yet last year it was claimed that the game is yet to leave the pre-production stage.
The game has reportedly slipped in and out of active development since 2008. Last August it was announced that Sarah Arellano, who previously worked on World Of Warcraft 2022’s Saints Row reboot, would be taking over as the lead writer for Beyond Good & Evil 2.
In other gaming news, Sons Of The Forest fans have found a way to clone and immortalise their companions in the game.
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Andy Brown
NME
