Beyond Good and Evil 2 loses director as Ubisoft Montpellier faces workplace investigation
Managing director and Ubisoft Montpellier Guillaume Carmona reportedly left the studio after nearly two decades with Ubisoft.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 is among several games at Ubisoft that have been stalled in development for years, and it looks like the game isn’t getting any closer to launch following news of the studio’s managing director leaving this week. Ubisoft Montpellier’s Guillaume Carmona had been at Ubisoft for around two decades and was leading the studio on the development of Beyond Good and Evil 2, but reportedly, he’s out of the company. Moreover, the studio faces an investigation into workplace practices and wellness by the Inspection du Travail in Montpellier, France.
These reports come from a recent story at Kotaku, who recently reported on the allegations and shared a statement offered by Ubisoft itself. Carmona, who had begun in marketing at the company and made his way to managing director at Ubisoft Montpellier in 2019, was said to have been absent from the studio since the beginning of 2023. Then, staff was apparently informed that Carmona was not returning with no reason given due to legal confidentiality, according to several anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Leading up to Carmona’s departure, several devs at the studio had gone out on extended leave citing sickness or stress, which prompted investigation from French labor inspection in December.
Source: Ubisoft
Kotaku also shared an email from an Ubisoft spokesperson that appears to confirm a self-assessment over workplace wellness.
“The health and wellness of our teams is an ongoing priority,” a spokesperson for Ubisoft wrote. “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.”
In addition to Carmona’s exit, a number of high-level staff changes have also taken place on Beyond Good and Evil 2. Senior creative director Jean-Marc Geffroy has been taken off the project and replaced by former associate director Emile Morel. Meanwhile, former game director Benjamin Dumaz also left the project, replaced by Charles Gaudron.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 has been in and out of the news over the years, mostly with Ubisoft claiming the game is not dead. The most recent claim came last month when Ubisoft stated that despite several cancellations, the game is still in development. Nonetheless, it seems it’s not any closer to coming out either. With games like Skull and Bones and the Prince of Persia remake also repeatedly delayed, it remains to be seen if Beyond Good and Evil 2 will ever see a release.
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