Despite the game’s predecessor design formula being a single-player, action role-playing game. Ubisoft had decided that the direction they wanted for the second game in the Beyond Good and Evil series to go in a completely different direction.

A pure, multiplayer game. And yes, just to confirm some people’s fears out there: You cannot play it without a stable Internet connection.

The News

This was confirmed during a Q&A session the studio hosted to answer fans’ questions about the upcoming title. A Twitter dweller by the name of ‘o_gilgamesh’ had asked rather straightforwardly: “Will we always need an internet connection even if we’re playing BGE2 solo?”

The following is the response of the studio:

“Beyond Good and Evil 2 is an online, multiplayer game with a rich co-op and seamless experience. As such, the game will only be playable with an internet connection to have seamless navigation, receive dynamic updates, and play with friends (which is certainly better when you’re playing as a Space Pirate!). The choice to play co-op, however, remains yours to make, so playing BGE2 solo is absolutely possible if you’re into that lone Space Pirate kinda thing…”

Might Not Be A Bad Thing

Granted, I’m relatively biased since I prefer single-player games than its Internet-dependent counterpart. So needless to say that when I heard them taking the game in this route, I was a little irked. But thinking back, however, this could be a good thing depending solely on how well Ubisoft Montpellier fleshed out the game.

The thing is that the world of BG&E - if the original is any indication - is massive. Hillys is a vibrant world with a thickness dimension of lore that is begging for their potentials to be realized and mined. There are many ways you can go about and do this. But the path that Ubisoft had taken was obviously to build a multiplayer, open world around it. It allows the studio to add into the game many dynamic elements that a single-player build would not be able to support. Such as constantly changing and updating quests to continuously build and improve the experience. Different game modes, and on top of all, adaptive storytelling techniques that, if done right, can be even more fulfilling to those seeking a good narrative than a single-player game.

Lastly, building the game this way also supports a community. The existence of a community in BG&E 2 will not only pave the way for future titles. But also adds into the game another layer of narrative that enrich the experience.

And there’s the catch: If they manage to design and develop the game just right.

BG&E 2 is not the first game to attempt to do this. And while there are resounding successes such as Diablo III, there were also crying failures like Fallout 76. The concept is nice, but it will all boil down to the execution that decides the final reception of the game.

Make a Wish

The most worrisome thing I can think on top of my mind for the game is the micro-transactions that will certainly appear. It is impossible to avoid now that the game had been announced as a pure multiplayer game. All I hope is that the system is balanced enough that it wouldn’t turn out to be either a Pay-to-Win game or perceive to be a greedy, money-grabbing system such as EA’s.

Anyway, since the release date is not yet known. If you’re a fan of the series, there’s still time to pray.