Ubisoft’s Beyond Good and Evil marked its 20th anniversary with improved visuals and technical elements compared to the previous release. However, the game suffers on Steam with connectivity issues linked to the Ubisoft Connect launcher.
Also read: Altura announces $1 million Web3 gaming grant fund
Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition struggled to maintain fervor on Steam despite its nostalgic hype. The game stormed with improved features compared to the previous version released. Ubisoft’s developers updated the game’s visuals to support 4K and a resolution of 60 fps to trail the current-gen devices. The developers also improved technical elements that impaired the previous release and added new Steam achievements.
Ubisoft Connect disrupts the gameplay
Smile for the camera 📸
You'll be able to relive Jade's adventures in Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition, coming June 25! pic.twitter.com/xzubaKSDYI
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) June 20, 2024
Most players left positive reviews after trying out the game’s features. However, just two days after the official debut, many experienced a common challenge and increased frustrations with Ubisoft Connect. The game’s overall rating on SteamDB currently sits at 66.43%, with a total of 135 positive reviews and 56 negative feedback from players.
Players who experienced these challenges pointed out that the Ubisoft Connect platform had authentication issues and occasional downtime, which greatly affected gamers’ experience.
Ubisoft Connect is a digital platform developed by Ubisoft to enhance gaming features, such as multiplayer. Like other Ubisoft-developed games, Beyond Good and Evil 2 uses Ubisoft Connect as its launcher. Gamers must connect their Steam accounts to the launcher to play the game.
Player numbers fall for Beyond Good and Evil on Steam
Upon the game’s release, data from SteamDB recorded that the game picked up well, peaking at 589 players simultaneously participating. However, the numbers dwindled soon afterward to a low of 97 players. At the time of this publication, the number of active players recorded on SteamDB is currently 307, and the 24-hour tally peaked at 493 players. Ubisoft emphasized that developers are still creating the game sequel and in-game puzzles to ensure the final product is entertaining to gamers.
Ubisoft released the game’s trailer on June 20th, which has far fetched more than 100,000 views on YouTube and more than 300,000 on X. The developer deleted the old Steam version to allow the new game to thrive.
Also read: Capcom Removes Original Devil May Cry 3 and 4 Versions from Steam Permanently
Beyond Good and Evil was first launched in November 2003 and once ranked among the best games ever before other gaming giants like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry launched. The game was developed for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC, accommodating various players using different gaming devices. Ubisoft announced the release date of Beyond Good and Evil 2 15 years ago in 2009, but the launch was delayed till June 25th.
Cryptopolitan reporting by Collins J. Okoth