Hopes of a high-def sequel to Ubisoft’s Beyond Good & Evil, bolstered by the release of an official teaser trailer in 2008 (above) and leaked target footage in 2009, have now been deflated, with Gamersyde confirming that the title is on hold.

“I got confirmation at Cologne’s Gamescom that Beyond Good & Evil 2 is on hold for now,” tweeted Colin “Snoopers” Cardo. “No idea if it’s def or temporary but it sucks.”

I’ll see that “sucks” and raise you a “blows monkey balls.” Especially since series creator Michael Ancel has been talking about how much bigger and better the sequel was going to be even before the Ubisoft confirmed its existence, with Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot himself revealing the teaser trailer to the gathered world’s gaming press at Ubidays 2008. Not to say this sad news was unexpected, as the company has been backpedaling ever since.

“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,” said Ubisoft’s North American President Laurent Detoc back in July, completely dismissing the fact that Ubisoft showed footage from the game at an internationally attended press event, which was streamed live on the internet for all the world to see. Even if this corporate doublethink turns out to be a clever means of introducing a new IP based on George Orwell’s 1984, consider me unamused Ubisoft.