IndustryGames recently sat down with Laurent Detoc, Ubisoft’s CEO of North American operations. The interview covered many topics, from the broadening appeal of videogames, to the PS3 price cut, to the fusion of games and movies. At one point, the conversation turned to Beyond Good & Evil 2, the long awaited sequel to Ubisoft’s 2003 cult hit. Detoc breached the topic by discussing how risky it is for a publisher to take on a new intellectual property. While Assassin’s Creed has certainly paid off in spades for the French publishing powerhouse, Beyond Good & Evil was a commercial flop.

When asked why they decided to pursue a sequel, Detoc said, “Well, I didn’t say there’s definitely going to be another game. I said something had leaked, which means we’ve been working on some Beyond Good and Evil stuff, but whether there’s going to be another game or not, that’s something for the future. But getting to your question as to why there’s work on the IP again, it’s a creative people business; the creative talent is interested in it and possibly exploring how to do it from a new angle.”

Needless to say, Detoc’s comments are likely to put BG&E fans in a tizzy. Why did Ubisoft release an official trailer (above) for a game that may not be developed? Is Detoc hinting that the game is being scrapped? Or just playing his cards very close to the chest? Is there indeed a Beyond Good & Evil sequel out there, somewhere on the horizon? At present, Ubisoft isn’t providing any answers.