This year marks the 20th anniversary of Beyond Good & Evil, and it seems Ubisoft will be celebrating the occasion with a special anniversary edition. While the publisher has not made any kind of announcement about it, the game leaked through the Microsoft Store, which means a reveal is imminent. Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition has since been delisted, but it seems that it was playable for those subscribed to Ubisoft+. Given the nature of the release, it’s unclear how long it might actually be playable. However, now that the cat is out of the bag, it’s possible we could see an official announcement earlier than Ubisoft planned!
Information from the listing was shared by @Wario64, and can be found in the Tweet embedded below.
Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition listed on Xbox Store: https://t.co/xDHeD3JJWC
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… pic.twitter.com/zcuRkZbEFx
— Wario64 (@Wario64) November 29, 2023
According to the listing, Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition has been upscaled to 4K, 60 fps. The game’s controls and graphics have apparently gotten an overhaul, and those that own the original version will receive these updates through Xbox‘s Smart Delivery feature. A new speedrun feature is being added, as well as updated achievements, and an anniversary gallery. Players can also expect multiple other improvements, including autosave and cross-save features. Presumably, that means the game will be available on PS5 and PC, in addition to Xbox Series X|S, but we won’t know for sure until Ubisoft makes some kind of announcement.
Beyond Good & Evil 2003
Beyond Good & Evil first released in November 2003 on PlayStation 2 and PC, with Xbox and GameCube versions arriving the following month. Developed by Rayman creator Michel Ancel, the game put players in the role of Jade, a photojournalist on the planet Hillys. Combat and puzzle-solving make up the majority of the gameplay, but Jade’s photography skills also play a role as she works to expose the DomZ.
Beyond Good & Evil released to strong critical praise, but was a commercial flop. However, the game has earned a larger following over the last two decades, thanks to some of its re-releases. Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition could give an even larger audience a chance to see what the game has to offer.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Despite the first game’s poor sales, a sequel has been in development at Ubisoft for quite some time now. In 2022, Beyond Good and Evil 2 officially became the longest video game ever in development, beating out a record previously held by Duke Nukem Forever. The first trailer was released all the way back in 2008, but the project has been stopped and restarted several times in the years since, with the direction seemingly changing multiple times. At this point, it’s hard to say if the sequel will ever end up releasing, so fans will have to settle for Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition in the meantime!
Are you excited for Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition? Did you play the game when it originally released two decades ago? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!