The long-in-development multiplayer pirate sim comparisons with Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, featuring players sailing the oceans on majestic pirate ships and challenging each other to intense battles. Players will also be able to build their own pirate hideouts and recruit crew as they strive to form a mighty and feared pirate empire.
While this exciting premise has drawn plenty of attention, Skull & Bones has seen more than its fair share of delays over the past few years. It was first held back from its original 2018 launch date, then delayed even further after Ubisoft announced that Skull & Bones would be completely rebooted from the ground up to resemble a cross between Fortnite and Sea of Thieves. More complications came when the game's managing director, Hugues Ricour, was removed from Skull & Bones’ development team following several allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct back in 2020, and Skull & Bones lead director Antoine Henry departed from Ubisoft earlier this year. These shake-ups in the game’s development staff at Ubisoft Singapore have led many to wonder if Ubisoft would cancel the project outright, but the publisher has remained committed to releasing Skull & Bones at some point in its new 2022-2023 launch window.
Skull & Bones is now one step closer to seeing release thanks to a new official rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board, as reported by Skull & Bones will feature in-game purchases, though it isn’t clear if this will come from future DLC packs or the smaller microtransactions that have drawn a mixed response from players.
Recent rumors have suggested Ubisoft could finally unveil more information about Skull & Bones during the Fourth of July weekend, including an official release date and new gameplay footage. A few months ago, Ubisoft opened a new Insider Program in search of playtesters for Skull & Bones, suggesting the game's development is likely farther along than originally suspected. In the wake of its many delays and revamps, the developer has also put a stronger emphasis on Skull & Bones’ multiplayer components, making it similar to other Ubisoft titles like The Division.
While the game has had plenty of development bumps, now that Skull & Bones has an official rating from the ESRB, it might not be that much longer before the troubled title sets sail. If recent reports are correct, players looking forward to Skull & Bones might get a more concrete idea of when it will launch in the coming weeks.
Source: VGC
