Ubisoft’s long-delayed pirate game Skull and Bones will actually launch this year. In a gameplay showcase that gave us our first look at Skull and Bones in several years, Ubisoft confirmed that it would launch on November 8.
The final version of Skull and Bones is a mix of Ubisoft’s open-world titles, survival games, and a more detailed version of the Assassin’s Creed series’ naval combat. Players start with just a small ship and a spear ,but will be tasked with building up their Infamy (the main form of progression) by completing quests and taking down enemy ships on the open sea. They’ll also become more powerful by finding blueprints and getting the materials to craft new ships, weapons, and armor.
Ubisoft is also emphasizing multiplayer, and players will be able to work with their friends to complete quests and even fight other players if they opt into the correct servers. Ultimately, Skull and Bones is shaping up to be an alternative to Sea of Thieves that’s a bit more focused on intense naval combat. It just took Ubisoft a long time to reach that point.
Skull and Bones has been in development since 2013, and it was first revealed at E3 2017. Back then, it was a more segmented experience with dedicated single-player and PvP modes. Skull and Bones was initially set to launch in late 2018 but was delayed again and again to the point that it was doubtful that the game would ever be released. A Kotaku report about Skull and Bones’ development claims that mismanagement and a lack of a consistent vision for the game were to blame for these problems. Ubisoft refocused the project in late 2020, and it appears to be a survival-driven experience.
Ubisoft will release Skull and Bones for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna on November 8.
