Jun 26th 1-2-3: Beyond Michael Ancel and Ubisoft
I have so many ideas, too many in fact.
So many ideas that they are practically falling out of my sleeves. The ones that catch my eye most are typically the ones that are the most tricky to create. The ones that requires the most amount of planning, or the most amount of dynamic control to pull it off as i see it in my head. Most of these face me with two choices in strategy. For one, I could just ‘put my nose to the grindstone’ so to speak, and ‘work’ though it. Or secondly, I could think up a minimum effective process to reach my intended goal.
Well in today’s newsletter I’ll be going over the development of 2003’s ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ a title from Ubisoft Montpellier, as I believe this games development gives plenty of food for thought on this particular concept.
So what’s this story behind the story?
1: Beyond Michael Ancel and Ubisoft ( 5 minute read )
Playing through ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ with the more recent HD port to modern consoles has been an experience fueled by nostalgia, and childlike curiosity.
Every memory I have playing this game as a child rings through my current experience with such a vivid clarity that I again feel like a child with no care or worry on the mind.
It’s like catching up with a old friend from the days gone, and picking up right where you both left off. Everything is just where I remember it being, and during the course of my playthrough I was constantly reminded of the fact that the effect this game has is not just a fluke of an old memory.
No, this game truly does capture something special. It captures the feeling of exploring a familiar., yet unknown world. The whimsey of its anthropomorphic animal/human hybrids is given weight to their existence with the world politics surrounding these creatures. The world feels both ruthlessly imaginative, and well developed while sparking a fire of curiosity within the player.
Not to mention how its charming art style and voice acting fit together with the game as a whole to make it a real feast for the senses. This game is a timeless classic that is to be enjoyed by all, I really cannot recommend this more if you haven’t played it already.
Now with a game as special, unique, and well designed as ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ is, I began to wonder how a game like this even came to be?
And boy is it interesting.
Beyond Michael Ancel and Ubisoft
Michael Ancel began development and early conceptual work for BGAE back in 1999, and his original plans were tp create the first of a planned trilogy of games with a focus on sci-fi themes with philosophical depth.
The initial plans for the game included a solar system of worlds to explore, multiple cities on the planets, a whole space exploration mechanic, as well as deep investigative mechanics.
The topics of civil rights, propaganda, government control, and identity were also as the forefront of the game. However as development continued, it became clear that the scope of this game was far too ambitious for Ancel and his team.
The team as Ubisoft Montpellier at that time was very small, and relatively inexperienced, and with that came tons of problems with actually creating what was conceptualized.
Then ensued the typical story,… Development was rocky, but more than anything was taking too long, and so it drew the attention of those in Leadership Positions at Ubisoft.
Ubisoft heads began to put pressure on Ancel and his team to release something, and so they gave them options on how they should strip back the development into something more reasonable.
Ancel strongly opposed all of those ideas to strip back BGAE, though it wasn’t enough.
Ancel and his team then began reworking the cities, and settled on having the whole game focused into one city ‘Hillys”.
They then removed most of the RPG elements they had been working on such as a multiple dialog system.
Next on the chopping block was space travel, and most large open world features.
And finally, the entire game was redirected away from its initial direction, and towards a stronger focus on stealth, photography, and action-adventure.
With a little bit of time… the game was ready for release.
Beyond Release
Beyond Good and Evil released to much critical praise, but was ultimately a commercial disappointment.
This was largely due to poor marketing and an unclear target audience.
However though many didn’t experience this game, those who did got a glimpse into a world more alive and realized than many from it’s time.
It’s a game that’s always had cult following; one that continues to grow today.
There have been multiple re-releases of this game since its initial launch, and Ubisoft has even announced a sequel back in 2017.
Though there’s still a spark of excitement within me for a sequel, it seems like BGAE2 is within a new development hell very similar to its prior installment.
Now the takeaway.
I think there’s a lot that can be taken away from this story. For one, lofty ambition is a powerful tool in any creative’s arsenal, though there is something to say about one who knows how to wield it to their benefit.
Take Ancel and his work on BGAE2 for instance. He was rumored to have begun work on the sequel back in 2007, ten years later it was formally announced, and 8 year past that to today, and it’s still seemingly not even close to the finish line.
Ancel himself pulled away from BGAE2 in 2020 due to it’s strained development, and most of the developments pain comes not from the ambition of the project itself; but from a refusal to strip back the ambition into something that more practically executes on the initial goal on the project.
So when I take all of this info into account and then think back, what made BGAE so special? It becomes very clear to me that Ancel’s ambition was not the reason why that game was so special, it was the fuel to inspire the devs to get to what made the game special. Which is equally as important in my humble opinion.
Again, there are many takeaways from this story behind the story, though this is just one.
Creative ambition is most potent in the hands of one who knows how not to be ruled by it.
Michael Ancel
2: Creative Prompts From Us (ex. Write a short story, a poem, a song, or draw a quick illustration of these! Let your imagination run free.)
I. Think about all your works, and think through which of them might have an ambition problem. One that has lofty ambitions that might actually be shooting itself in the foot.
II. Think about which ways you can ‘strip’ back your initial plans to make the intended effect more reasonable to reach.
3: Inspirational Quotes From other Game Directors
I. “A strong idea is not a prison—it’s a compass. You follow it, but you also learn when to turn.”
— Jenova Chen (Game Designer, Journey, Flower)
II. “The art of game design is knowing what to cut. It hurts. But the good stuff always survives.”
— Cory Barlog (Creative Director, God of War)
III. “The hardest part of making something special is knowing when to let go of the parts that only matter to you.”
— Michel Ancel (paraphrased from multiple interviews)
Thank you so much for reading!