Ubisoft Montpellier, the studio currently developing Beyond Good and Evil 2, is allegedly being investigated by the Inspection du Travail in Montpellier, France, for labor violations. This is supposedly because of the large number of developers that have experienced burnout and have taken sick leave during the game’s development.
Ubisoft Montpellier’s managing director is the latest to leave
There have been many complaints about the Beyond Good and Evil 2 15 year development process and the large turnover of staff as a result, including the departure of the creative mind behind the franchise, Michel Ancel. The latest high-profile departure is the studio’s managing director Guillaume Carmona, who failed to return to Ubisoft Montpellier after taking leave at the start of the year. A reason has not been given for his departure because of legal confidentiality.
Sources told Kotaku that his departure follows a year where dozens of developers took extended leave for stress or sickness, including many lead developers. This is what has seemingly triggered interest from the Inspection du Travail, who is now interviewing Ubisoft studio employees to prepare their report on labor violations. A Ubisoft spokesperson said:
The health and wellness of our teams is an ongoing priority. 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.
Whether Beyond Good and Evil is ever released remains to be seen, but it is definitely stuck in development hell.
