Ubisoft gives away 'Beyond Good & Evil' via Uplay as sequel rumors reignite

By Danny Cowan October 11, 2016

beyond good and evil is free to download this month beyondgood — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Michel Ancel’s revered action-adventure game Beyond Good & Evil will be free to download this month as publisher Ubisoft celebrates the 30th anniversary of its founding.

Starting tomorrow, PC gamers with an active Ubisoft Uplay account will be able to download the digital Windows version of Beyond Good & Evil free of charge. The giveaway will continue through November.

Released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, PCs, and the original Xbox, Beyond Good & Evil is a third-person action game that cites gameplay inspiration from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series. Taking control of veteran photojournalist Jade, players explore a vast alien world in the hopes of unraveling a deadly conspiracy.

Though it’s considered a commercial failure, Beyond Good & Evil won a dedicated fanbase due to its memorable characters and varied gameplay, and a visually upgraded version premiered for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PCs in 2011.

Fans remain hopeful that a Beyond Good & Evil sequel will one day materialize, and newly posted teasers have reignited gaming community speculation in recent weeks. Though designer Michel Ancel announced a Beyond Good & Evil sequel as far back as 2008, he recently revealed that the project was still in the pre-production phase, ensuring that fans have a few more years of anticipation ahead of them.

Regardless, many fans see this month’s giveaway as confirmation that Ubisoft still considers Beyond Good & Evil to be an important franchise worthy of a return.

“Beyond Good and Evil is a unique game in Ubisoft history: created by Michel Ancel, this game is the most beloved game of our communities!” Ubisoft explains on its giveaway site. “Released in 2003, this game was a creative bet that took all trends in reverse: the hero was a young girl with skills and wits, Jade, who was very different from women characters in video games at that time.

“The game had a unique style mixing Japanese and traditional cartoon. It remains a unique experience with lovable characters, brilliant storytelling and gameplay mixing driving, fighting, collaborating, [and photography].”

Beyond Good & Evil will be free to download starting on October 12.

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