After the 2003 release of the critically acclaimed Beyond Good and Evil, Ubisoft has officially announced its sequel, Beyond Good and Evil 2, at this year’s E3 during their press conference. Not only is the announce trailer a spectacle of visual glory, but the game’s director Michel Ancel deserves a cookie after he teared up on stage to present the game. It was the most touching moment in E3 history.

Within the trailer we meet Knox, a wild card monkey hybrid who puts one over this slummy pig gangster named Zhou Yuzhu. He escapes with Zhou’s lair with vital information on a hover bike with Shani, a highly skilled mechanic of Somalian ancestry. A brilliant car chase ensues that mirrors the intensity and fun of police chase scene in The Fifth Element. Arriving to their ship, the Gada, they greet Captain Dakini as they head out into the great beyond.

According to Ubisoftt, Beyond Good and Evil 2 takes place before the events of the first game. How the game will actually look outside of cut scenes is yet to be revealed, but the gameplay from the first Beyond Good and Evil is a single-player, third person actioner. From what we know, the game has an online multiplayer aspect to it as well.

Here’s the official description for Beyond Good and Evil 2, courtesy of Ubisoft:

Journey to System 3, for the prequel to one of Ubisoft’s most beloved games! Fight alongside unforgettable characters in a stunning new solar system, as you struggle for freedom and the right to determine your own fate among the stars. Play the adventure by yourself or with friends in a vast and seamless online playground.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is the spiritual successor to the cult classic, a prequel that will transport players into a profoundly multicultural world, capturing the spirit of the original with grandiose decors and intense dramas that play out across a vast universe. Through the Space Monkey Program, Ubisoft Montpellier will be developing the game alongside its community of fans.

System 3 has become the center of interstellar trade and colonization in the Milky Way of the 24th century, thanks to the creation of Hybrid slaves. While private enterprises fight over resources and power, the first colonists weave together the rich and diverse spiritual and cultural heritages of Old Earth to give meaning to their existence. In this new era of piracy, we will rise from lowly pirate to legendary captain at the helm of massive star-faring vessels, adventuring alongside crews of colorful characters to fight for freedom and the right to determine our own fate among the stars!

Directed by Michel Ancel, Beyond Good and Evil 2 has no official release date yet.

Source: Ubisoft US