Ubisoft was hesitant to go forward with Child of Light due to Beyond Good & Evil’s lack of commercial success
It’s no secret that Beyond Good & Evil did not perform up to Ubisoft’s expectations. While the game was met with a great reception from critics, it wasn’t a financial hit.
The fact that Beyond Good & Evil was essentially a commercial failure still causes Ubisoft to be cautious today. According to Child of Light creative director Patrick Plourde, the publisher was hesitant to move forward the project.
Plourde told GamesIndustry:
“If the game is a missed opportunity, then it’s going to be a missed opportunity for years. Even when I pitched Child of Light, they mentioned Beyond Good & Evil. They said ‘Beyond Good & Evil was not a success, and we made that mistake once.’ And it’s like, yeah, but it’s 10 years ago… If somebody tries something and fails, there are going to be repercussions for other people. For me it would be a shame if that happens. I don’t think people are malevolent or evil about that. It’s just if it fails, they’re going to be careful greenlighting other projects like that.”
