Beyond Good & Evil was a game that blew gamers away five years ago. It was released to huge critical acclaim and helped cement creator Michel Ancel’s reputation as one of the games industry’s greatest auteurs.

I personally loved the title and would put it in my top five all time greatest games - if I actually had a top five, which I don’t. It would be too hard for me to decide upon. Suffice to say the one thing I know about my top five is that Beyond Good & Evil would be in it. Between the brilliant character of Jade (a strong, rounded character), the amazing world in which she exists and the incredibly diverse gameplay, BG&E was an odyssey that I remember as one of the great journeys of my life.

I think my favourite element of the game was photographing the varied wildlife throughout the world. Ancel found a way to combine the simple but addictive gameplay device of collecting stuff with exploration and artistic freedom as you set up and framed your photos. No one but Ancel would have you one minute dodging guards in a factory and having hovercraft races, and the next floating on the sea listening to the waves crashing and setting up your shot to take a photo as a huge whale emerges off in the distance and CLICK! You have the image of its tail as it crashes back into the salty waters below. Sublime.

Despite unanimous agreement throughout the gaming world that Beyond Good & Evil was indeed a masterwork, it couldn’t match that with financial success. And so, years passed without a sequel. It’s been particularly frustrating for gamers to hear no word of a sequel all this time, as BG&E ended on a cliff hanger with much scope for a wider storyline.

A few years ago I got up personal with Michel Ancel and took the opportunity to ask him then about a possible sequel. I was never sure if it was just the pleading look in my eyes that made him say it was definitely coming, or if there really were plans to bring Jade back. However, this week at Ubidays, after whisperings over past few weeks following Ancel’s interview with a French magazine, we finally had confirmation that BG&E 2 is indeed on its way. The new trailer gives away little, but anyone who played the original is celebrating right now. For those that are new to the game, I urge you to go back and play the original before this new game appears. Beyond Good & Evil isn’t just a game. It isn’t just some fun gameplay and a weird pig uncle. It’s an amazing story, a genuine odyssey and you should start your journey at the beginning.