Support NeoGAF

[Draugoth]

Skull and Bones, Ubisoft's repeatedly-delayed multiplayer pirate game, finally has a release date. Again. After being delayed six times.

The release date is now set for February 13, 2024 for Ubisoft+ subscribers and February 16 for everyone else. We also learned that a new closed beta will take place between December 15 and December 18. The game is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

Skull and Bones has had a fraught development to say the least. It was first revealed at E3 2017, and at the time was planned to release on the last generation of consoles in fall of 2018. Then, in 2018, it got delayed to "2019-20"... and then never came out. Later, reports suggested that it had been quietly rebooted, before being delayed again to 2020, and then again to 2021. Then it was delayed into 2022-2023, later given a November 8, 2022 release date, and then delayed to March 9 of 2023, and then somehow delayed a sixth whole time to "early 2023-2024,"

While all that's been going on, we've also learned via reports that the game is allegedly being made in a fairly toxic work culture at developer Ubisoft Singapore, and it's seen three different creative directors depart in the time it took to get the game together. We did play a preview of the game back in August and found it to be pretty fun despite all the troubles, but it's nonetheless worrying just how many times this game has been rebooted and moved around amid reports that development is fraught. Hopefully the, er, seventh release window is the charm.

 

[HAYA8U5A]

 

[drotahorror]

So it's a 3 player coop game now?

This game is the definition of development hell.

 

[Sybrix]

It's a game that should have been released in 2014 & it looks like it aswell.

Also no boarding or hand to hand combat.......... for a pirate game? Ubisoft does it again.

 

[Luipadre]

It's a game that should have been released in 2014 & it looks like it aswell.

Also no boarding or hand to hand combat.......... for a pirate game? Ubisoft does it again.

I mean this looks decent if it was came out in 2014 like you said. If someone liked the ship combat in AC games this can be fun for a few hours, but thats about it. I also dont know why they delayed this so many times. Looks like nothing has changed from years ago when we saw gameplay

 

[Flutta]

So Feb 13th 2025?

 

[T-0800]

I just want a Sea of Thieves clone on PS5. This isn't it.

 

[Sybrix]

I mean this looks decent if it was came out in 2014 like you said. If someone liked the ship combat in AC games this can be fun for a few hours, but thats about it. I also dont know why they delayed this so many times. Looks like nothing has changed from years ago when we saw gameplay

I loved AC Black Flag & the ship combat was a big part of that.

When this game was first announced all those years ago, i was looking forward to it, however it's so evident it's gone through so many development issues it's now a Frankenstein of a pirate game that doesn't really offer much.

I'll probably get this when its 80% off on Steam.

 

[saintjules]

Emails have gone out for the closed Beta. Check your inbox if you were interested in this.