Beyond Good And Evil 2

Ever since its cinematic trailer reveal at E3 last year, fans have been eager to learn more about Beyond Good and Evil 2. A livestream in December showed off character and ship customization, as well as concept art. Today, another livestream gave us some details about the upcoming space pirate adventure, including gameplay footage, answering fans' questions, and giving a breakdown of Beyond Good and Evil 2's timeline of events.

Ubisoft's Guillaume Brunier (senior producer), Emile Morel (associate creative director), and Michel Ancel (creative director) took part to give this overview. They mentioned the continued success of the Space Monkey Program (a community-driven initiative where fans give feedback about the game's development) and how more Ubisoft studios are collaborating on the project. Additions include Ubisoft's studios in Sofia, Barcelona, and soon Bordeaux will work on it too.

You can view the timeline of Beyond Good and Evil 2's world events below. We are explained some history leading up to the golden age of piracy, which is when Beyond Good and Evil takes place. The game is a prequel to the first title, and is set before the birth of Jade. Here is the breakdown Ubisoft shared:

2040: On Earth, humankind is experiencing a golden age of science. One of the most notable inventions is a propulsion engine that allows us to cover huge distances in space and colonize distant planets.

2063: A crisis occurs. Earth's advanced technology backfires and attacks humanity.

2086: The first talking hybrid, who is the pig/human Pey'j, is created. He was Jade's companion in the first entry.

2108: Humankind is forced to leave Earth, and expeditions are made to different solar systems. Humans start to colonize System 3.

2225: System 3 is where Beyond Good and Evil 2 takes place. At this point, the Ganesha City that is largely influenced by Indian culture is built. Ubisoft teases that Beyond Good and Evil 2 takes place in one solar system, but it will have a "few surprises."

2314: A mysterious giant ship is attacked and there is a massacre. This is one of many bizarre events that unfold during this time, and is a big part of the main storyline.

2360: We enter a golden age of piracy. Beyond Good and Evil 2 puts you in the shoes of a space pirate who travels around recruiting crewmembers.

????: Though this section isn't dated, the team mentions that later on, Jade is born.

Following the reveal of this timeline, Ancel was quick to mention that it's a "working document" and that certain details could change as they inch towards release. 

About mid-way through the stream, Ubisoft showed off some pre-alpha gameplay footage. The clip is short and doesn't show much, but it does give us a better idea about what spaceship travel looks like as well as combat. Take a look for yourself below. 

Following the demo, Ancel explains that "everything is connected." Nothing in the demo is scripted. "You can have a fight inside a spaceship that’s being attacked," he says.  "At one point Knox [a character we met in the announcement trailer] is in a huge spaceship. He could fight inside or try to escape."

During battle, you can use your jetpack to dodge attacks or evade conflict completely. He also describes that exploration throughout the solar system will be seamless with no loading screens. 

At the end of the stream, there was a brief Q&A period where the team responded to fans' questions. One of the questions was whether we would be given answers to Beyond Good and Evil 1's cliffhanger or if it would be left unexplained. Ancel responded with "yes and no." While the team isn't going to tell us what happens after the cliffhanger, certain mysteries surrounding it will become clearer as we explore the world's origins.

Ubisoft teases that the team is heavily focused on E3, and that we can expect some bigger reveals next month during the show. For more on Beyond Good and Evil 2, read our preview from last year's E3.