Ubisoft Montpellier, the studio currently developing Beyond Good and Evil 2, would be the subject of an investigation by the Labor Inspectorate of Montpellier, France, for violation of labor law. Supposedly, this is due to the large number of developers suffering from burnout and taking sick leave while developing the game.
The managing director of Ubisoft Montpellier is the latest to leave
There have been many complaints about Beyond Good and Evil 2’s 15-year development process and resulting high staff turnover, including the departure of the creative mind behind the franchise, Michel Ancel. The latest high-profile departure is that of studio general manager Guillaume Carmona, who was unable to return to Ubisoft Montpellier after taking leave earlier in the year. No reason was given for his departure due to legal secrecy.
Sources told Kotaku that his departure follows a year in which dozens of developers took extended leaves due to stress or illness, including many core developers. This is what apparently aroused the interest of the Labor Inspectorate, which now questions the employees of the Ubisoft studio to prepare its report on labor violations. A Ubisoft spokesperson said:
The health and well-being of our teams is a constant priority. Given the length of the development cycle with Beyond Good and Evil 2the Montpellier development team undergoes wellness assessments through a third party to take preventative measures and assess where additional support may be needed.
Whether Beyond Good and Evil will ever be released remains to be seen, but it’s definitely stuck in development hell.