Beyond Good and Evil 2 creative director Emile Morel has died

Beyond Good and Evil 2 creative director Emile Morel has died

Time Stamp: July 5, 2023 6:35 PM

Ubisoft game designer Emile Morel, who recently took over as creative director on Beyond Good and Evil 2, has died at the age of 40.

Morel’s death was reported by game industry colleagues on LinkedIn (via IGN). “Rest in peace my dear Emile Morel,” Ubisoft Montpellier producer Greg Hermittant wrote. “You’ve been such a great and kind partner during all these years at Ubisoft. I’m grateful to have worked with you on so many projects.

“Even through the most difficult times, you always remained the caring and supportive person you were with your beautiful positive mind.”

“A cherished colleague for over a decade at Ubisoft Montpellier, we laughed and wept through good times and bad, and shipped a lot [of] great games together,” former Beyond Good and Evil 2 narrative director M. Gabreille Shrager wrote. “Emile was so very proud of Beyond Good and Evil 2, the Space Monkeys, and his teammates. He will be sorely missed.”

Morel joined Ubisoft in 2009, according to his own LinkedIn page, where he worked on games including The Adventures of Tintin and Rayman Legends. Prior to that, he was at Eden Games for nearly four years, earning design credits on Alone in the Dark and Test Drive Unlimited 2.

A Kotaku report from February said Morel had been promoted to creative director on Beyond Good and Evil 2 as the result of a shakeup at developer Ubisoft Montpellier, sparked by a labor investigation into high levels of burnout and sick leave at the studio. He had previously served as associate creative director on the project, which has now been in development for more than 15 years. 

“Be assured we will continue your work,” Hermittant wrote.

A cause of death has not been announced. I’ve reached out to Ubisoft for comment and will update if I receive a reply.

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