Beyond Good & Evil 2 breaks Guinness World Record but it’s not good news

The long-awaited Beyond Good & Evil 2 recently broke a Guinness World Record once held by Duke Nukem Forever, which took 14 years to release.

3D Realms initially unveiled Duke Nukem Forever in 1997. Its protracted production cycle wouldn’t allow the shooter to hit store shelves until more than 14 years later.

Thus, it’s not hard to believe that Guinness recognized the Duke Nukem 3D follow-up as having the “longest development period for a video game.”

But another sequel with a lengthy development cycle has taken the crown from the poorly-received first-person shooter.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 beats Duke Nukem Forever record

GamesIndustry.biz’s Brendan Sinclair recently pointed out that 5,156 days (14-plus years) passed between Duke Nukem Forever’s 1997 reveal and its 2011 release date.

Guinness World Records will soon need to update its stats because there’s a new record-holder in town – Beyond Good & Evil 2.

Ubisoft showcased a teaser trailer for the sequel during a May 2008 press event, complete with a then-new look at Pey’j.

As of writing, approximately 5,240 days have passed since that date, meaning Beyond Good & Evil 2 now holds the Guinness World Record for a game with the longest development period.

After showcasing the CGI teaser in 2008, Ubisoft and series creator Michel Ancel kept mum about the project for years on end.

Beyond Good & Evil reentered the spotlight during E3 2016, however, with Ancel and the publisher reasserting their commitment to its completion.

Ancel departed the production team and the industry in late 2020, with the intent of working full-time at a wildlife sanctuary. Later reports, which Ancel denounced, alleged he actually exited amid an investigation into toxic workplace behavior.

The most recent update on the project itself came from an industry insider who claimed Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still years out from release.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 still lacks a firm launch date.