It’s hard to completely scrub something off the internet, and Ubisoft is finding that out the hard way after accidentally leaking a remaster of its 2003 action-adventure game Beyond Good & Evil to some lucky Ubisoft+ subscribers.
As spotted by PC Gamer, Ubisoft reportedly gave members of its $US18 per month subscription service brief access to Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition. This version of the game—whose existence leaked a bit earlier this year—will feature 4K visuals and 60fps performance “with improved graphics, controls, and audio, along with brand-new autosave and cross-save features,” according to a now-deleted Xbox store listing quoted by deals tweeter Wario64.
Ubisoft making the game available was a total accident; however, that didn’t stop folks from sharing clips and screens of the BG&E remaster on YouTube. While the company tried erasing any evidence of this ever happening, copyright striking anyone who published footage of the leaked game, Ubisoft eventually gave up and announced this morning on X/Twitter that the remaster is real.
“Well, looks like the cat’s out of the bag, dagnammit,” the company tweeted. “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!”
But what actually happened here? Well, It appears to have been a technical error on the company’s part. In an email to Kotaku, an Ubisoft spokesperson confirmed that the leak was all its fault.
“Due to a technical error, an early development version of Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition was recently released to some Ubisoft+ subscribers,” the Ubisoft spokesperson said. “As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Beyond Good & Evil, we’re excited to share that the official launch is set for early 2024, and we look forward to sharing more with you in the new year.”
It’s important to note the “early development version” in the company’s statement, as Ubisoft later clarified that what folks might’ve seen in the copious leaked gameplay footage online “is not indicative of the final game.” While not final, if the clips and screens of the leak are anything to go by, we can at least expect the BG&E remaster to look pretty good.
It’s been 20 years since Beyond Good & Evil debuted. A sequel to the famed action-adventure game was teased for about a decade before getting formally announced in 2017. However, BG&E 2 has been MIA since its reveal—and BG&E lead creative Michel Ancel left the company amid a cloud of controversy—though Ubisoft swears up and down that the game’s still in development.
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