• The creative director of Assassin's Creed 3 says the idea of Skull and Bones was "bizarre" to "see essentially the same stuff re-shipping 14 years after we made it"
• Alex Hutchinson and his team were behind the naval tech seen in Assassin's Creed 3 and Black Flag
• Hutchinson suggests the development team was mostly made up of "junior" staff with not enough experience

Alex Hutchinson, creative director of Assassin's Creed 3 and Far Cry 4, has discussed what went wrong with the launch of Skull and Bones, suggesting it was down to a lack of experience from the development team and the fact that he and his team had already created something similar.

Skull and Bones launched in 2024, but the action-adventure pirate game was initially intended to be an Assassin's Creed: Black Flag multiplayer experience, which was conceived in 2013.

Development went on for a long time due to several delays and reboots, and even after finally launching 11 years later, the game wasn't received too well critically, while also lacking player engagement.

However, despite the recent shakeup at Ubisoft, which has seen the cancellation of a ton of games and studio closures, Skull and Bones is still alive and well, and even received a major update recently.

Speaking to PC Gamer, Hutchinson, whose team developed the naval battles for Assassin's Creed 3, tech which was later used in the follow-up Black Flag, the idea of Skull and Bones was "bizarre" to "see essentially the same stuff re-shipping 14 years after we made it".

The developer, who later left Ubisoft to co-found Journey to the Savage Planet's Typhoon Studios, and Revenge of the Savage Planet creator Racoon Logic, explained that the concept was already "stale" at that point.

"Ideas have a window ... they age out and become stale," Hutchinson said, adding, "I think the team was junior. They were trying to essentially make Black Flag crossed with World of Tanks or World of Warships. But I don't think they had experience in that. And then they didn't really have experience in making even an Assassin's Creed game down there, because they really did co-development. And then I think it just got away from them."

He also believes that the team at Ubisoft Singapore consisted of "junior" members with not a lot of experience.

The studio was established in 2008 and had 300 employees by the time the Skull and Bones project began, but it mostly served as a support studio that assisted in the development of the Assassin's Creed franchise.

Hutchinson added that Ubisoft would send employees from its Canadian and French studios to help Ubisoft Singapore, but says the trips were more like holidays.

"For a lot of the French or Canadian developers, they would go down to Singapore for a year's holiday," Hutchinson said. "They weren't going down there to make that studio huge. They were like, 'Oh, that'd be fun to work for a year in Singapore.' I don't think they were serious. And you couldn't get as many people, the talent pool just wasn't deep enough."

Skull and Bones' first post-launch update has been released and features all-new seasonal content.

Titled season one: Raging Tides, the first major content patch for the live-service action adventure game befits its title as it introduces a wide range of new features, including a series of free world events that will allow players to engage in pirate warfare across the Indian Ocean.

There are also free time-limited events and as players battle against foes on the water, they'll also come across a mysterious ghost ship that haunts the seven seas, along with a sea monster waiting for unsuspecting pirates. 

One of the most notable features of Raging Tides is the introduction of a new pirate lord named Philippe La Peste, dubbed the "Plague King" alongside his Fleet of Pestilence who, as he sets his sights on the Indian Ocean, is "in search of power, riches, and a cure for his festering afflictions." 

Plaguebringers, the Fleet of Pestilence's advance guard, will spawn throughout the world and players must defeat them to acquire 'Plaguebringer Captain Heads.' However, the more Plaguebringer ships you sink, the more the hostility level of the Fleet of Pestilence will rise. 

Players will also be offered the chance to prove their worth in weekly challenges by smuggling high-value resources through three unique paths simultaneously on the Smuggler Pass, The Shipmaster, Quartermaster, and Gunnermaster, with over 90 rewards available to unlock. Alongside free rewards, there are also two full cosmetic sets available in the Premium Pass for your ship and captain. 

While traversing the high seas, players can also encounter two elite boss Kingpin Bounties, including Jaws of Retribution: Introducing Zamaharibu, which runs from March 5 to Match 26. There's also Anguish from the Abyss: Rode Maangodin which will run from March 26 to April 16.

Ubisoft has also released patch notes for season one: Raging Tides which also detail new seasonal contracts, alongside updated gameplay features and quality-of-life changes. 

For more, here's our list of the best single-player games, as well as our list of the best multiplayer games. 

Ubisoft’s open-world pirate sim Skull and Bones talks big. From the moment you create your character, the game coerces you with the idea that you could “rule the seas" in what I can only describe as a 'press F to pay respects' moment. 

Starting my own playthrough, I felt that this was a cheque that Ubisoft would never be able to cash. After all, how could a pirate game without any actual swashbuckling or swordplay deliver on such a lofty promise? 

However, after a week with the multiplayer adventure game, I’ve begun to change my tune - my shanty, if you will. Though Skull and Bones feels quite skeletal in its current state, I was pleasantly surprised by its robust and well-constructed foundations. At the time of writing, the story is thin on the ground, and the activities mostly boil down to completing repeatable quests. But, the mechanics that tie these errands together are strong and could be the start of something special should further supporting content be released.  

For example, sailing in Skull and Bones feels fantastic, emulating the authentic feeling of sailing but cutting enough corners to avoid tedious complications. Like real life, you’ll need to avoid sailing into the wind, forcing you to pay attention. However, the minute adjustments to sail setting are left to your crew, removing a lot of the real-world faff. This means you have to plan your course during travel and battles rather than just jumping behind the helm and setting sail. 

When in motion, Skull and Bones' ships beat across the waves, with turbulent waters jostling vessels and further complicating aiming and traversal. Together, this perfectly captures the Age of Sail fantasy and marks a fundamental strength of Skull and Bones. It’s rare for travel in an open-world game to be anything but a chore, but Ubisoft’s latest has managed to nail it, all while reinforcing the pirate fantasy at its heart.

Across the waves 

Interesting travel isn’t the only feather in Skull and Bones’ cap, either. The process of charting a course and then setting sailing through a section of the game’s open world also results in encounters with non-player character (NPC) ships. You can prey upon them or leave them be as you see fit - a choice that seems truly piratical. 

In addition, sometimes you’ll run into ongoing battles and have to decide if it’s worth wading in for yourself. Rather than being entirely straightforward though, this decision is complicated by the game’s resource system. Does a ship carry something you want? If so, then the urge to attack becomes harder to resist. 

These waters are muddied further by the fact that attacking ships that could outmatch yours and you start to ask yourself tough questions. Is it worth risking death for the chance at loot? Can we really take on that heavily armed warship? Weighing up these sorts of choices really makes you feel like a pirate captain, having to pit risk against reward as you attempt to build your fortune.

That said, though they have potential, the breadth of these encounters isn’t all that impressive as of yet. Currently, you can prey upon vulnerable merchant vessels, take on enemy warships, and flee battles that get too spicy for you. While all three courses of action are entertaining, they can often feel a little monotonous after a while depending on how long your swashbuckling session is. However, should Ubisoft populate this promising design space with more kinds of encounters further down the line, I can’t help but feel like the open-ended seaways of Skull and Bones will start to show a real promise.

You can find more of this promise in Skull and Bones' high-stakes death system, which is reminiscent of an extraction shooter. Perish, and you’ll lose a great deal of cargo, including your valuable trade goods. If you want them back, you’ll need to recover the wreck of your lost ship, which is infinitely more difficult if you sunk in a dangerous area, since item recovery in these locations is much easier said than done. To avoid this disappointment though, between excursions, you can dump your resources in the warehouse. They’ll be safe there, but you won’t be able to sell them for a profit on a far-flung outpost which is a sacrifice for those looking to cash in big bucks. Again, it’s all about balancing risk and reward, a feeling that helps generate a sense of genuine trepidation and excitement whenever you set sail.  

Bare bones  

Sailing aside, Skull and Bones is far less generous when it comes to its storyline and mission structure. Repeatable fetch quests and kill missions ensure that adventures on Ubisoft’s high seas have diminishing returns for players. 

However, if you put the lackluster rewards aside, you’ll see that Skull and Bones has the potential of a nascent MMO. Players customize their ships, using diverse hulls, weapons, and furnishings to design vessels that fulfill specific combat roles. These add some spice to emergent encounters. For instance, you might build a support ship, an asset that will help you bail out strangers as you make your way across the sea. Alternatively, you could build a heavily defensive vessel and spend your time shielding allies and drawing the attention of enemy ships. These options help to make the experience feel more unique, rather than simply offering everyone the same cannon-firing bow-to-bow combat.

When building a ship in Skull and Bones, I was reminded of my time with the sci-fi massively multiplayer online (MMO) game EVE Online. In EVE you spend most of your time in charge of a spaceship, making your way across the galaxy in search of riches, violence, or, perhaps, just a new adventure. The scope for ship customization in EVE is immense, allowing you to furnish almost any style of spaceship you can think of. Granted Skull and Bones doesn’t offer nearly as many hulls or as much flexibility as EVE, but I couldn’t help but feel that, with a little bit of love from Ubisoft, the pirate sim could follow in the MMO’s footsteps. 

The cycle of repeatable adventures fleshed out by rewarding combat mechanics also reminded me of Bungie’s multiplayer sci-fi first-person shooter (FPS) Destiny 2. Between bounties, events and regular contracts, Skull and Bones doesn’t have the same mission variety as Bungie’s FPS. However, should Ubisoft follow Bungie’s example by adding more enemy types and a wider range of encounters, it could, in theory, build something as iconic and time-tested as Bungie's juggernaut.

While Skull and Bones is undoubtedly a flawed enterprise that’s liable to disappoint those looking for an entirely fleshed-out experience, it would be short-sighted not to remark on the open-world pirate simulator’s impressive potential. As examples, EVE Online and Destiny 2 offer blueprints for how Ubisoft could develop Skull and Bones into something far greater than its current incarnation. Should Ubisoft stick to its guns and give Skull and Bones the support it needs, we could well see a renaissance for the game down the line.

Looking for other games to play in the meantime? Check out our lists of the best multiplayer PC games and the best co-op games.

Despite its troubled development cycle, Skull and Bones has plenty to offer for fans of naval combat or those looking to immerse themselves in a pirate fantasy. Engaging ship battles, a wide scope for ship customization, and immersive sailing mechanics all confirm that Ubisoft's latest live service open-world game has some strong fundamentals. However, thanks to a thin storyline, repetitive mission structures, and a narrow range of enemy types, Skull and Bones feels underdeveloped, like a pencil drawing that’s yet to be filled in by color or shading.

In Skull and Bones, you play as a ship captain during the second golden age of piracy in the late 17th century. The prologue has you ambushed by British sailors and your ship blown to bits. You are then recovered by the crew of a small gathering ship, and tasked with making a name for yourself. Soon, you arrive at Sainte Anne, a pirate port and hub location run by the ruthless pirate kingpin John Scurlock. So far, so pirate-y. 

From here, you carry out contracts, amass resources, construct better ships, and repeat. On paper, it’s not dissimilar to the mechanical loop at the heart of action role-playing games (RPGs) like Diablo 4. However, contrary to Blizzard Entertainment’s dark fantasy adventure, Skull and Bones has little to offer by way of a narrative throughline. 

Contracts follow a predictable formula. You go out, sink some enemy ships, take their loot, and deliver it to somebody. Even the story quests will tend to follow this style, too. While Skull and Bones’ central mechanics are strong enough to keep you coming back a few times, eventually, the repetition loses its luster, transforming thrilling piracy into dull bureaucracy.

This feeling isn’t helped by Skull and Bones’ crafting system. The things you can build are fun; that much is true. New weapons fixtures, hulls, and furnishings - which add passive effects to your ships - make for interesting choices when it comes to crafting loadouts and formulating your own distinct approach to battle. However, the process of gathering materials to build these new additions detracts from the pirate fantasy. After all, tales of swashbuckling and romantic high adventure on the seas rarely give much consideration to elements of resource management.

What’s more, those looking for hand-to-hand combat or complex on-foot exploration will be disappointed here. Though Skull and Bones offers plenty of sailing, everything from boarding actions to gathering is undertaken by your crew. There are pirate outposts on which you can land, but these are small areas that are only really relevant when it comes to delivering cargo for a particular non-player character (NPC) or digging up treasure for a sidequest.

Full sail  

Despite these drawbacks, Skull and Bones has a firm and impressive grasp on sailing and nautical combat. As a sailor myself, it’s a real bugbear of mine when sailing in games doesn’t take factors like wind direction and tidal currents into consideration. However, it’s also important for in-game sailing not to become too bogged down in the details. This is a line that Skull and Bones walks rather skillfully. 

As in real life, sailing into the wind is a great way to go nowhere fast. Conversely, filling your sails by traveling perpendicular to the wind or downwind gives you a nice little speed buff - useful in a pinch. However, you are not made responsible for manually adjusting your sails - your crew handles this at the touch of a button. With a single input, you can toggle your sail settings, allowing you to easily change course even in the middle of a hectic fight. The sailing mechanics are technical enough to factor into your movement and keep you on your toes, but not too technical as to alienate or bore those who aren’t quite as familiar with the ins and outs of sailing.  

All of this serves to add a satisfying edge to nautical combat. Much like in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, you aim your cannon fire manually while controlling your ship in real-time. Depending on your ship’s loadout, your different weapons will be able to fire in various directions. Subject to cooldowns, you’ll need to patiently time your shots - a feat that becomes an exciting challenge when combined with managing your ship’s speed and position relative to enemy ships.

Do you thread the needle between an enemy formation, exposing yourself to fire but allowing you to unleash a left and right volley at the same time? Do you bear away from a foe to pepper them with your rear cannons, or is it best to stay engaged and attempt to board? These sorts of questions must be answered as battles unfold, making tough engagements feel tense and rewarding. 

There are plenty of weapons and furnishings to choose from for your ship, too. While there are more traditional armaments like culverins and long guns, mortars, torpedos, and even rocket launchers are all available to enterprising pirates looking to spice up their loadouts. What’s more, ships are highly customizable both cosmetically and mechanically. Equipping the right furnishing can be key to getting the most out of your weapons, while plenty of color schemes and embellishments for aesthetic enhancements are available with in-game currency. While the number of cosmetics only available with premium currency did leave a foul taste in my mouth, there were plenty of options to choose from for more frugal seafarers.

Low tides 

You are not alone on the seas. In some respects, Skull and Bones feels like a nascent massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. Other players can be found across the waters. You can form ad-hoc groups, banding together to take on tougher missions and contracts. Between other players and an abundance of NPC ships, the virtual Indian Ocean that Ubisoft has constructed feels well-populated.

The issue is that there’s little by way of structured missions or meaningful, player-created narratives to give this impressive open world its own distinct meaning. Grouping up with other players tends to be an ad-hoc affair, where you’ll form parties to take down tough settlements or bosses, only to part once you're finished like, well, ships in the night. 

The different flavors of mission offer little variation. Settlements can be plundered, forcing you to face waves of enemies as your crew ransacks the place. However, the battles themselves are much the same as you’d find while exploring or carrying out one of Skull and Bones’ many repeatable fetch or kill quests. Distinctive enemy types are absent, making for engagements that are fun the first few times, but lose luster after a while. Though boss battles do offer exceptions to this rule, there simply aren’t enough of them to paper over the cracks caused by the limited range of potential encounters on offer. 

Skull and Bones may, one day, be transformative. Its mastery of naval combat fundamentals and ability to capture the sights, sounds, and visuals of the pirate life make for impressive achievements. However, right now, there is little beyond these robust foundations to keep players interested. Much like a house without a roof, no amount of sturdy brickwork will suffice to keep the storm out. However, there is hope for Skull and Bones. The live service model gives Ubisoft scope and opportunity to add some much-needed embellishments and variety to its impressive yet samey nautical world.  

Looking for other online experiences? Check out our lists of the best multiplayer PC games and the best MMO games.

Ubisoft's much-delayed pirating simulator, Skull and Bones, finally released on February 16. However, despite promising plenty of features in the run-up to launch, it looks as though the high-seas adventure game has been dashed on the rocks when it comes to user reviews.

Skull and Bones currently suffers from an average user score of 2.9 on Metacritic, based on over 300 user ratings at time of writing. Many of these reviews make unfavorable comparisons to Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Released back in 2013, Black Flag had you play as Welsh pirate Edward Kenway and involved plenty of swashbuckling, sea battles, and sneaking about. Conversely, Skull and Bones, is more acutely focused on naval battles, having players send crews to board enemy vessels rather than doing it themselves.

The negative reviews center around issues with pacing and a narrow approach to game design. "Painfully slow and boring," said one user, while another complained: "It is worse than it looks. No ship boarding, can't swim, sea battles are all the same. No endgame at all."

The 12 critic reviews on Metacritic at time of writing are more favorable, coming to an average of 64, which the site calls 'mixed.' These were somewhat more favorable than the user reviews, with PC Gamer, our sister site, saying: "Combining moody and gratifying ship-on-ship combat with shallow live service trappings, Skull and Bones is great within the claustrophobic parameters of what market forces allow it to be."

Skull and Bones had a notoriously troubled development, having received multiple delays since its announcement in 2017. Since then, the title has been changed in numerous ways, with overhauls to the setting, branding, and the scope of its game mechanics.

The swashbuckling game is currently available on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and on PC via the Ubisoft store.

Looking for an alternative? Try our lists of the best single-player games and best story games.

Jussi Markkanen, the technical director of the upcoming multiplayer pirate adventure game Skull and Bones, has revealed some of the ways in which the game will take advantage of the hardware features of the PlayStation 5.

In a recent interview posted to the official PlayStation Blog, Markkanen explained that the unique features of the DualSense Wireless Controller are going to help enhance the combat experience. “Naval combat really comes alive with the DualSense [...] when using the adaptive triggers,” Markkanen said. 

“From sea fires and giant ballistae, to rocket launchers and mortars, you will be able to experience the different tensions of the triggers as you fire a variety of different weapons.”

This concept will be immediately familiar to anyone who has played other recent PS5 titles by Skull and Bones publisher Ubisoft (like Far Cry 6 or Assassin’s Creed Mirage) which have often made extensive use of the adaptive triggers. 

Markkanen went on to say that the “controller also rumbles in specific locations based on where your weapons are firing and where you’re taking damage,” which certainly seems like an intriguing way to enhance immersion through rumble vibration.

Skull and Bones will also feature 3D Audio for those using any of the best PS5 headsets that support it. In addition to helping you locate incoming fire by the simulated direction of audio cues, it will allow you to better hear the exact origin of commands shouted by your crew. As an aside, Markkanen added that the game will feature “30 shanties” for your crew to sing in a range of languages for you to appreciate in all their glory.

In terms of overall performance, the interview confirms that the game will run at a 4K resolution and a targeted 60fps frame rate, and that the PS5’s “ultra-fast” SSD storage helps cut down loading times.

While this all sounds like a perfect way to utilize the power of the PS5, we will have to wait and see the performance for ourselves when Skull and Bones launches on February 16, 2024. Those who want to get into the swashbuckling action even earlier can pre-order the Premium Edition for up to three days early access.

For some great current generation titles, see our guides to the best PS5 games or the best single-player games.

In a stroke of exciting news for seafarers and pirates, Ubisoft has announced that multiplayer open-world pirate sim Skull and Bones will get an open beta ahead of its imminent February 16 launch. 

The open beta will begin on February 7 at 6pm PT (which is 2am GMT and 1pm AET on February 8) and run until 3pm PT on February 11 (which works out as 11pm GMT, and 10am AET on February 12).

You can join in through the Epic Games Store, the Ubisoft Store, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. According to the Ubisoft website, the beta will be "open to everyone" (via PC Gamer). This is the first time that Skull and Bones has been available in an open beta, with all previous betas being distinctly closed affairs. 

Players will be able to take on Main Campaign Contracts and gain Infamy - how players level up in Skull and Bones. However, both are locked to prevent players from progressing too far during the beta. As Ubisoft puts it: "You will be able to play and experience the world of Skull and Bones up to the rank of Brigand (Tier 6 rank 1)." Judging by the Deep Dive Trailer from last December, this will likely involve you serving a pirate kingpin but will cut off progression before you can start to run an independent pirate empire. 

Open beta participants will also get a set of exclusive rewards ranging from a fancy sail emblem to a pet lemur. 

The announcement also came hand-in-hand with a Roadmap Trailer which you can see below.

Ubisoft has four seasons planned for its first year of content, each including new events, rewards, and themed battles.

In case there was any doubt at this stage, Skull and Bones will be following the live service model embodied by the likes of Sea of Thieves and Destiny 2. This means that Ubisoft has set itself a considerable challenge when it comes to keeping Skull and Bones an attractive prospect for players throughout its lifecycle. 

The prospect of dramatic naval battles and piratical treasure hunts has certainly piqued my interest; I'll see you on the high seas on February 11.

In the meantime, check out our lists of the best co-op games and best survival games for more tense action. 

One of the most surprising reveals at last night’s The Game Awards ceremony was the sudden return of Skull and Bones, a co-op open-world pirate action-RPG that was first announced all the way back in 2017.

Just in case you’ve forgotten - and frankly who can blame you after all this time - Skull and Bones is a game that looks like it might be a bit of a spiritual successor to Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. 

Set in a fictionalized rendition of the Indian Ocean featuring the Coast of Africa and East Indies to explore, it takes place in a shared world where players must complete missions and increase their pirate infamy rating in order to upgrade their ships and become the most fearsome plunderer on the sea.

Naval combat and exploration is the key draw here, and is also the area where Skull and Bones seems to draw most from Assassin’s Creed 4. With customizable ships and intense battles, it has always looked like the perfect way to live out your pirate fantasy.

Unfortunately, however, the game has faced a very troubled development and has received multiple delays since its initial reveal six years ago. Each time, the game has reemerged in a slightly different state including subtle changes to its setting and even an entire branding overhaul.

Now, at long last, it appears that Skull and Bones is actually going to (if you can excuse the pun) ship. At The Game Awards, Ubisoft showcased an all new trailer that goes into detail about some of the mechanics eager pirates can expect to see. You can watch the full trailer below:

The most interesting part here is the trailer’s ending though, which grandly reveals the new release date February 16, 2024. Skull and Bones is set to release on PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Amazon Luna (Amazon’s game-streaming service if you’re not in the know). It's also worth noting that those with a subscription to Ubisoft+ can play the game up to three days early.

Pre-orders are available now and, while it is yet to be seen whether the game does actually come out this time, it’s a very promising sign.

For great games that have already released, see our guides to the best single-player games or the best indie games.

Skull and Bones - Ubisoft’s upcoming pirate action-adventure - is now facing another delay, according to the company’s latest earnings report. What’s more, another “large” Ubisoft game is being pushed back, too, but it’s not currently clear which one it is. 

As Eurogamer reports, Skull and Bones has faced multiple delays since its announcement in 2017. In the last year, it's missed three separate release windows - first, November 8, 2022, then March 9, 2023, and now, the more vague “early" point in fiscal year 2023-24 (which began in April 2023). 

In Ubisoft’s new earnings report, which was released yesterday (October 26), it was stated that Skull and Bones is now due to launch Q4 2023-24, which amounts to a window of January to March 2024 - potentially almost a year on from when it was last expected to release. 

The report also makes reference to a “large game it had initially planned to launch during the last quarter of the current fiscal year” (by March 31, 2024). It stated: “The company has decided to launch this other large game in FY 2024-25, so as to maximize its value creation.”

This means that whatever the game is, it’s now facing a new release window somewhere between April 2024 and the end of March 2025. However, it didn’t clarify when in the financial year it’s been pushed to, so it’s not currently known how large the delay will be. 

While the report didn’t reveal what the game is, it did specify that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Just Dance 2024, XDefiant and The Division Resurgence are still scheduled to be released within the remainder of the current financial year.

If you’re looking for some superb new games to play, look no further than our recommendations for the best PC games, best PS5 games and best Xbox Series X games. 

Ubisoft has confirmed another Skull and Bones closed beta test for later this month. 

Skull and Bones was announced back in 2017 and was originally scheduled for a 2018 launch, however, following a series of delays the open-world pirate game received a new November 2022 release window. Unfortunately, the game didn't end up meeting that estimate and was delayed once again following its first gameplay reveal. 

Now we're over mid-way through 2023, Ubisoft has confirmed that a new closed beta will be available to players this month, suggesting the company may have a new release date in mind (via PCGamer).

To take part in the closed beta, players must sign up at ubisoft.com and then wait for an invitation in their inbox. The test officially starts on August 24 at 7PM PT / August 25 at 3AM BST / August 25 at 4AM CEST, but players can begin preloading on August 22 at 3PM PT / 11AM BST / 12PM CEST.

The closed beta test is exclusive to Ubisoft Connect on PC.

Ubisoft also shared the system requirements for PC, which you can check out below:

Skull and Bones system requirements:

Minimum requirements (1080p at 30 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7-4790, AMD Ryzen 5 1600, or better
• RAM: 8 GB (running dual-channel mode)
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB), AMD Radeon RX 570 (8 GB), or better
• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD recommended)

Recommended requirements (1080p at 60 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11
• Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K, AMD Ryzen 5 3600, or better
• RAM: 8 GB (running dual-channel mode)
• Video card: NVIDIA RTX 2070 (8 GB), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB), or better
• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD recommended)

Recommended 2K configuration (1440p, 60 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11
• Processor: Intel i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, or better
• RAM: 16 GB (running dual-channel mode)
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (8 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 (16 GB), or better
• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD required)

Recommended 4K configuration (2160p, 60 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11
• Processor: Intel Core i5-11600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, or better
• RAM: 16 GB (running dual-channel mode)
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (16 GB)
• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD required)

Skull and Bones will also be coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, with an new estimated release sometime in the "fiscal year 2023-2024," which can be anytime before March 31, 2024.

If you're looking for something else to play in the meantime, you can check out of picks for the best RPGs for PC and consoles. 

Skull and Bones finally released on February 16, after years of delays and major changes to the game's core focus. 

In Skull and Bones, you start off as a shipwrecked pirate, and build your way up to a pirate legend. There are missions to take on, hubs to visit, and plenty of ship customization. What's clear is that the game's scope and vision changed drastically since its first reveal.

Here's everything you need to know about the sea-faring open world game, including a look at its gameplay, latest news, and more.

Skull and Bones: cut to the chase

• What is it? Ubisoft’s upcoming pirate adventure
• What can you play it on? PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
• When did it come out? February 16, 2024

Skull & Bones release date and platforms

Skull and Bones launched February 16, 2024.

When the game was first announced it was only confirmed to release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Though, back then, it was due for release in 2018. After many delays, and the launch of the new generation of consoles, Skull and Bones then dropped PS4 and Xbox One. It's now available on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Skull and Bones is also Ubisoft's first game to sell under a $70 / £70 price tag for new-gen consoles, something it previously hadn't committed to. 

Skull & Bones trailers

Ubisoft showed off a trailer for Skull and Bones during The Game Awards 2024. It's a gameplay deep-dive detailing naval combat, player progression and the main story. You can watch it below.

We've included some key Skull and Bones trailers throughout this article but you can find all the Skull and Bones trailers that have been released to date on Ubisoft's official YouTube channel.

Skull & Bones gameplay

When Skull and Bones was first revealed it was more akin to Rainbow Six Siege than it appears now. The game was a small team PvP game where each player took on the role of ship, kitted it out with specialised guns and armor, and then the two teams would blast each other to splinters with their cannons and muskets.

That's all changed, or at least it's no longer the focus. Now, Skull and Bones is an action RPG game first. You start life as a shipwrecked pirate. You have to scout out resources to build a tiny, practically defenceless sailing vessel, and from those humble beginnings you will raise yourself up to become a pirate lord.

Using your ship you will sail around an open world, scouting out lumber, precious metals, and all the other resources you could need to craft equipment. You'll face AI enemies, such as other ships, but also wild animals, like hippos and sharks. And you'll harvest more resources and booty from them, using it to trade for money at pirate dens and other outposts, or use it in your crafting.

The best way to earn money, equipment, and blueprints is to take on contracts. These jobs will see you hunting down bounties, assaulting towns, or seeking out long lost treasure. The contracts you have access to are determined by your 'infamy' and completing contracts will also help your raise your infamy level. While you can buy gear and ships with the booty you pick up, Skull and Bones lets you craft equipment to fit out your schooner.

As you roam the seven seas of Skull and Bones, you'll discover blueprints. These may be rewards for completing contracts or hidden away at the bottom of treasure chests. They will be essential for the game's crafting. With blueprints and resources you find in the world, either from scavenging shipwrecks, harvesting natural resources, or hunting animals in the sea, you can build entirely new ships, create new weapons and armor, and upgrade all of the fittings on your ship.

Some of the most powerful hulls and equipment will need to be crafted. So if you want to become the most fearsome pirate on the seven seas you'll have to invest your time in crafting and blueprints.

Skull and Bones multiplayer

Skull and Bones started life as a PvP game, but it's since evolved into a survival game that can be played entirely solo. It's quite a drastic change from the original vision for Ubisoft's open world pirate game. However, Skull and Bones multiplayer still exists in a changed form.

While the whole game can be played alone, you can open it up to other players, both friends and foes. When taking on a contract mission and set out into the world to earn loot, you can invite another player into your party, joining up to take on the mission together. While it will make the game a little easier and you will need to split some of the earnings, because you'll often find yourself taking on more enemies and earning more loot than your hold can, er, hold, sharing it with a friend doesn't mean you'll end up with less.

You can also open up your game to enemy players, turning the seven seas into a PvP arena. While you can't be attacked in the safe waters around a pirate den, as soon as you slip out of its boundaries you can be targeted by other players. Of course, on the way out to a mission you may not attract much attention but when you're on the way back to port, your hold full of booty, enemy players will see you as a high value target on the amp and may come to hunt you down.

In this way, PvP and co-op do still have a part in Skull and Bones but it is in a much reduced form. 

Skull and Bones ship types

There are multiple ship types in Skull and Bones, each with significant strengths and weaknesses. The three kinds Ubisoft confirmed in the Ubisoft Forward were Cargo Ships, Navigation Ships, and Firepower Ships. There may be more types we've yet to see, but as well as these categories, we know there are multiple hulls of each type, so there will be lots of opportunities to find the perfect ship for your playstyle.

Cargo Ships
Larger and slower than the cover ship types, cargo ships have large holds that let you carry much more loot than any other ship type. While they may not be as good in a fight as the firepower ships, nor as fast as the navigation ships, if you take a cargo ship into battle you won't need to leave any loot behind.

Navigation Ships
While you won't have much in the way of armor or hardpoints where you can install lines of cannons, the navigation ships are the fastest and most maneuverable type of vessel. Not only are they good for scouting ahead, in a battle a good captain will be able to weave between their enemies and stay ahead of their guns. Their other weakness is a small hold, so this ship type is best used when you have a friend to help pick up the loot after a battle.

Firepower Ships
If you want to bring the fight to a battle then this is going to be the ship type for you. It may not be fast as fast or as maneuverable as a navigation ship, it may not have the armor or the hold of a cargo ship, but the firepower ship can load up the most guns, and dominate the battlefield.

Skull and Bones news

Skull and Bones gets a song at Ubisoft Forward 2023
Skull and Bones did indeed resurface at Ubisoft Forward 2023, but pretty much just in the form of a musical performance. A beta was at least announced, so stay tuned for more info.

Skull & Bones is 'not a narrative-driven game'
If you're hoping for a great story in Skull & Bones, you may want to temper those expectations. Speaking in an interview with True Achievements, game director Ryan Barnard told us:

“Skull and Bones is not a narrative-driven game. We have narrative pieces — in the game, you'll meet important NPCs called Kingpins which have their own stories that you'll learn as you develop rapport with them by taking on contracts with them. There is an underlying story to the game with which we build the entire world lore, but that's not the main focus. We want players to create their own stories and be able to choose the type of pirate they want to be."

Instead, Barnard calls the progression system, Infamy, to be the driving force in this campaign. Given that this is a live-service experience, this isn't that surprising that story isn't the center of attention, though it may prove disappointing for those after a fresh single-player pirate adventure. 

That's everything you need to know about Skull and Bones. For a look at what's coming out next year on PS5, check out our New PS5 games list

Ubisoft has announced yet another delay for its swashbuckling action-adventure game Skull and Bones – but it's not all bad news. 

Skull and Bones' release date has been pushed back to March 9, 2023, but Ubisoft has announced an open beta to smooth things over. In the past month, some PC players (including me) got into a playtest with a very strict NDA, but the open beta will throw open the doors for everyone and presumably across platforms. 

We were expecting Skull and Bones to release on November 8, so it's a significant delay. That said, the holiday season is a busy period for game releases, and competition is stiff. But with God of War Ragnarok, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet all out around the same time, perhaps pushing the date back is for the best.

It's gonna get beta

Skull and Bones was first announced in 2017 and should've been released alongside the similarly nautical-themed Sea of Thieves the following year (which had a delay of its own). It was going to launch on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but is now coming exclusively to PC and current-gen consoles. 

Ubisoft insists game development is complete, and the extra time "will be used to further polish and balance" using the feedback collected from the Technical tests and Insider Program. Both of which have been going on over the past couple of weeks.

We're now looking at a total of five years of delays, but unlike the MIA Beyond Good and Evil 2, at least we know the game is sailing towards a release date, even if the path is choppy. I can't divulge my experience with the playtest, but a Skull and Bones open beta is a wise choice.

An open beta can also keep people interested in Skull and Bones over the five months of waiting. Enough big hitters are coming out in that time that Ubisoft's pirate game could easily get pushed to the back of our collective consciousness. If the game is as good as Ubisoft believes it to be, the open beta will do a great job of hooking people in and drumming up some pre-orders.

Ubisoft hasn't shared the details of the Skull and Bones open beta just yet, so we'll keep our eyes scanning the horizon and let you know as soon as they're announced.

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Skull and Bones is having another playtest for a final polish of the game before launch – and you could be in.

Since it was first announced at E3 2017, we've been impatiently waiting for Skull and Bones' release. Due to launch this November 8, select groups of players have already had some hands-on time thanks to the game's Insider Program, and the Skull and Bones beta. The Insider Program is exclusive to PC, but the beta is open to all platforms. And you might be sitting on an invite for this weekend's playtest.

The Skull and Bones playtest kicks off today, September 16, and went live in the early hours of this morning. It wraps up on Sunday, September 18 at 7pm PT / 10pm ET which is Monday, September 19 at 3am BST / 12pm AEST. If you want in, here's what you need to do. 

How to join the Skull and Bones playtest

Sign up

Unless you've cracked the secret to time travel, you may have already fallen at the first hurdle. And that was registering your interest on the Skull and Bones live test site. Of course, there's still time for more testing between now and November 8, but that's not a guarantee. Twitter leaker Tom Henderson says this playtest "is to help the developers 'finish polishing the game'." And you can never have too much polish.

Check your email

If you already registered and forgot all about it, like I did, go check your email! My inbox had an email from Skull and Bones with the subject "confirmation: technical test." So have a search of your own inbox to see if you made the cut. 

Accept the NDA

Before you can take to the high seas, you need to sign an NDA. A strict NDA, says the email. Click through the link to find the NDA, have a read, and if that all sits well with you, go ahead and accept! You also have the opportunity to reconfirm your platform of choice, or change it if need be. I registered for the PS5 Skull and Bones playtest and it remembered my choice, so it was all very straightforward. 

Get your download code  

You can either sit tight and wait for your code to come in via email, or follow the link in your email again to find the code on the site. Then just redeem it in the storefront for your platform and wait for it to download. As soon as it's done, you can hop in. 

Hopefully, the playtest will give you enough of an idea of what's in store to decide if you want to pick up Skull and Bones when it releases in November. Of course, there's the price to take into account.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has dropped the bombshell that Skull and Bones – along with the publisher's other triple-A titles – will be priced at $70. Speaking to Axios, Guillemot said that "some of the games will come at the same price as the competition. The big triple-A games will come at $70."

Sony is currently getting sued for slapping similar prices on its games, although the circumstances are different. But if everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, regardless of how that case plays out, we'll be paying higher prices anyway. 

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I have a theory, and it’s that Ubisoft’s forthcoming swashbuckler, Skull and Bones, was in development hell for so long because it was trying to answer a stupid question. It being: “Why can’t we have Black Flag without Assassin’s Creed?”

You can’t blame Ubi for trying – lots of people would like to ride the waves Edward Kenway once ruled without a whole series worth of baggage in the hold. But the resultant product is a multiplayer survival game. Admittedly with slicker menus than the 9,000 of those that come out every other week – but Skull and Bones looks like it has more in common with The Division than Black Flag.

The problem is this: once you take the Assassin’s Creed out of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, you aren’t left with much. A beautiful rendition of the Caribbean in the 18th century, sure. But what do you do in it? What keeps you there? 

Even in the base game, with a strong narrative pull to keep you going, the actual piracy stuff gets a bit tedious around the middle. Once you’ve fully upgraded your ship, hideout, and gear, Black Flag’s side activities become surplus to requirements.

There’s no simulated economy à la Elite, no bigger and better ships to buy, none of the marital prospects that you might find in Sid Meier’s Pirates!, or, for that matter, anything resembling a social ladder. No rivals. No intrigue. Nothing to climb, alas, but walls.

Pirate proxy

In the context of Black Flag, an Assassin’s Creed game, this is absolutely fine. Kenway is the star here; you’re not investing in sugar, you’re investing in his story. For seasoned fans, the role he plays in the wider continuity (a bridge between eras, and nexus around which a number of major characters orbit) is what really matters. 

The emergent ‘pirate stuff’ is only as complex as it needs to be in order to support the character’s growth, giving the player a sense of progression that mimics Edward’s growing status in the narrative. Black Flag is in every meaningful sense an Assassin’s Creed game, for good or ill, with all the baggage that implies. 

That aspect of its identity is fundamental, and can’t just be slotted out like a faulty GPU. Wishing it were not so is rather like complaining that Star Trek isn’t set on a submarine (something that was tried, as it happens, and was crap).

Assassin’s Creed is one of those bizarre cultural forces that generates an astonishing amount of discourse about how it should be something else. Every time it’s in the news, some tedious arsehole somewhere decides to write that piece again. You’ve seen it. It’s usually entitled something like “It’s Time For Assassin’s Creed To Ditch The Modern Day Story”, written by and for people who haven’t bothered to notice that it’s already been relegated to a largely optional fifteen minutes spread across a 300-hour RPG. Hardly worth the effort to complain about. If you had marmite on toast with that sort of ratio you’d need an electron microscope to confirm it was there.

But OK, yes: it’s undeniable that a lot of people simply don’t care for Assassin’s Creed’s story. Despite this, the series is outrageously popular; beyond its ongoing take-it-or-leave-it depiction of an ideological cold war, Assassin’s Creed’s main draw is its capacity as a venue for historical tourism. A veritable holodeck brimming with archaeological and anthropological intrigue. Discover abandoned temples! Explore ancient cities in their prime! Meet interesting historical figures, and stab them with a Special Knife! Or, simply wander around, and learn about our ancestors – how they lived, how they worked, how they ate. 

Ubisoft’s commitment to providing a Discovery Tour experience for each of its most recent Creeds is testament to how much of the series’ long-lasting appeal is down to its vibrant, hyper-detailed, and surprisingly accurate depiction of the places and people of long ago.

Plot hole

This is all to say that Black Flag’s broad appeal is not, as some seem to believe, in spite of its connection to Assassin’s Creed. It is, in fact, utterly dependent on it. Stripping Black Flag of that connection therefore leaves such an enormous hole to be filled that you might as well start over. What do you replace it with? A single-player story that, for example, adapted the real history of New Providence Island’s short-lived pirate republic would be covering so much of the same ground as Black Flag that it would scarcely be worth the effort. It makes sense, in that case, to focus on a multiplayer experience: have players ‘make their own stories’ and all that. But that’s not exactly what anyone meant when they wished for a Pirate Game Without all that Templars and Aliens Stuff.

With the best will in the world, Skull and Bones was never going to bear much more than a surface resemblance to the now creaking, last-last-gen game it was spun off from. Is it any wonder, then, that the project never seemed to have any direction? That it spent so many years as a cancellation rumor, surfacing only occasionally, and looking markedly different each time?

Our latest glimpse of Skull and Bones reveals a pirate-themed fantasy playground that retains very little of Assassin’s Creed’s sense of place or authenticity. Ships clad in spiked armor spew flames at each other – in the shadow of a mushroom-shaped floating island that defies the laws of physics, let alone the history books. It looks more like sailing into a silly heavy metal album cover than any kind of time travel experience. This in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but it hints at how impossible a task it is to remove Assassin’s Creed from Assassin’s Creed. You end up with a Ship of Theseus. A Trigger’s Broom.

It remains to be seen if Skull and Bones turns out to have been worth the wait, or a sunk-cost-fallacy that should have been scuttled after the first concepts were abandoned. What is pretty clear, though, is that anyone hoping for some mythical baggage-free follow-up to Black Flag is going to be sorely disappointed.

The comparisons will be constant, inevitable, and rarely favorable, if for no other reason than nostalgia. So, Skull and Bones has a real uphill struggle on its hands – it has to be good enough, on its own merits, to defy and surpass some rather lofty expectations set by a beloved and half-remembered predecessor, whose success it is undoubtedly hoping to capitalize on despite being an entirely different kind of experience.

Good luck, Ubi.

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The Skull and Bones live test is on the way later this year, and players will finally get the chance to jump into the pirate ship battling game ahead of its release.

Ubisoft has finally taken the lid off of Skull and Bones, revealing a ton of details about the game’s future, including a November 8 release date. That’s great to hear, as the title has been stuck in development limbo for years, initially being announced all the way back at E3 2017. However, it seems the end of development is finally in sight. And you'll have a chance to try it out soon.

As part of the reveal, Ubisoft let on that the game is getting a couple of betas across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5. This should give players a chance to finally get hands-on with the game, and give the development team valuable feedback.

There’s currently no word on exactly when players will be able to play the Skull and Bones live test, but if you're interested in trying it, it’s worth getting in early to sign up for the beta. That way, if Ubisoft let people in by date registered, you'll have the best chance possible. Here’s everything you need to know about signing up for the beta. 

Skull and Bones live test

How to sign up to the Skull and Bones live test

Signing up for the live test is a fairly easy process, and something you can do in a minute, so it’s well worth doing so if you have any interest in playing the game. 

First of all, head over the to live test sign-up page. Once here, you'll be prompted to select the console you’d like to play the game on. You can choose between the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Once you’ve highlighted the platform you want, hit the ‘Register’ button.

After this, you'll be prompted to sign in to your Ubisoft account, or an Xbox, PlayStation, Facebook or Twitch alternative. If you don’t have a Ubisoft account, you can easily make one on the official site. Just select ‘Create An Account’, and fill in your information. 

Now that you're signed in to your account, you should be registered and good to go. There’s no timeline set for the live test, or any indication on how many will be let in, so now you just have to play the waiting game. 

What is the Skull and Bones live test?

There is another way to play Skull and Bones early and more often. However, it seems like it's a very exclusive club. The Insider Program, which you can sign up for on the Skull and Bones website, is an ongoing testing initiative that's exclusive to a small group of players. 

This is currently PC only, and anyone who is invited to the exclusive initiative has to sign a non-disclosure agreement and promise to play regularly in designated sessions. 

This looks to be a step above the live tests and requires some stricter rule adherence and participation. However, if you're really committed to Skull and Bones, this seems like a great way to get involved… if you're lucky enough to be invited, of course.

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Ubisoft has announced plans to use in-game events in games such as Riders Republic and Skull and Bones to raise awareness around the impact that climate change has on our planet.

The plans were developed as part of Ubisoft’s participation in the Playing for the Planet Alliance’s annual Green Game Jam, which encourages studios to find ways to integrate environmental topics in their games.

In Rider’s Republic, for instance, Ubisoft intends to use a “short and intense live event” to promote strategies that will reduce the size and frequency of wildfires, as well as have an emotional impact by highlighting their consequences. You won’t be forewarned of the event, Ubisoft has said. Instead, one day you’ll boot up Riders Republic and “be immersed immediately in the consequences of wildfires on the outskirts of the map”. 

The consequences will include an orange sky and "’fire smoke’ fog throughout the entire game”, a default gas mask being equipped and a part of the map being completely inaccessible as a result of the air being “unbreathable”. 

It’ll be up to you and other players to work together to stop Sequoias burning down. This will involve identifying “the most fragile and flammable areas of Sequoia National Park” by using Photo Mode and then engaging in collaborative activities that will reduce the risk of the fire spreading, for example, cleaning forest paths or protecting trees by putting aluminum foil on their trunks. 

Skull and Bones, on the other hand – which doesn’t yet have a release date but is expected some time later this year – will focus on the consequences of resource exploitation by “showing what happens in the game world and the real world when the demand for sharks’ fins results in the overfishing of sharks.” 

As Ubisoft explains it, it’ll be “one of the seasonal live events in the game” that are designed to encourage collaboration and you’ll “have the choice to contribute to marine wildlife protection and comprehend the destructive nature of the shark fin trade.” Contributing to community challenges will, Ubisofts says, result in rewards being unlocked for everyone “depending on the overall level of participation.” 

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There's more to see

The Green Game Jam has been taking place since 2020 and it appears to have grown each year. Starting with mobile games in its first year, it was opened up to all platforms in 2021 and this year is being described as “the largest edition” yet, with over 50 participating studios. 

Scrolling through the list of this year’s participants shows that there are other Ubisoft studios and games taking part, though not necessarily with such all-encompassing in-game events. 

For Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, for instance, Ubisoft Montreal will apparently add “an exclusive Charity Pack that features two unique mount skins”, with all profits generated “donated to charities focused on nature conservation.” 

Ubisoft San Francisco, meanwhile, has said it intends to “teach guitar learners & players more about their instrument and everything that went into making it” in Rocksmith by using a combination of “environmentally-themed in-app rewards” and “an interactive curriculum that focuses on the planet with themed song playlists and educational Rocksmith Discover videos and articles”.

Even outside of Ubisoft, Guerilla Games and Sony are getting involved through Horizon Forbidden West with its previously announced “Aloy’s Forests” project. Media Molecule’s Dreams, meanwhile, created a “community-facing game jam focused on the themes of sustainable farming, including sustainable food and agricultural practices” back in April of this year.

Ubisoft is a prominent presence in the list of participants for the Green Game Jam this year and it was in 2021, too. The publisher has also been vocal about its Play Green initiative announced in 2021. 

However, it’s also attracted criticism for its push into NFTs despite severe backlash from players and widespread concerns over the negative environmental impact associated with some NFTs. 

Ubisoft has claimed that its Quartz platform is “the first platform for playable and energy-efficient NFTs in AAA games” but in an interview with IGN around the time of the platform’s launch, Nicolas Pouard, VP of Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Lab said, “If we see [blockchain technology] cannot go [more energy efficient], if it’s not sustainable, of course, we will think again of what we are doing.”

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After a turbulent development and multiple delays, Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones could be preparing to launch as soon as this coming November. 

Twitter user ALumia_Italia claims to have found details on the game's launch in an Xbox Store listing, Eurogamer reports. According to the tweet, the listing makes mention of a pre-order bonus, additional missions, a “Smuggler Pass Token”, a digital soundtrack and artbook and a premium bonus pack. Most importantly, it also includes a potential release date: November 8 2022. 

This release date finding was subsequently corroborated by known insider and leaker Tom Henderson, who simply tweeted a green tick in response. 

ALumia_Italia suggests that the game’s listing on the Xbox Store means a Skull and Bones “announcement is imminent”. Indeed, Tom Henderson has claimed earlier this month in a report for TryHardGuides that, according to his sources, Ubisoft is planning to re-reveal the game in early July and that the re-reveal will include a release date confirmation.

Right now, Skull and Bones doesn’t have an official release date, though earlier this year Ubisoft said in a financial briefing that it expects the game to launch in this financial year, so before April 2023. November 8 would certainly fit that goal.

Of course, any leaked release dates should always be taken with a pretty sizeable pinch of salt. We won’t know the release date for Skull and Bones with any certainty until we hear it officially from Ubisoft. 

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Analysis: Is it likely?

It’s safe to say that Skull and Bones is a game that’s been a long-time coming. First revealed all the way back in 2017, it’s had its release date pushed back multiple times amidst reports of a reboot mid-development.

Back in September 2020 update, Ubisoft Singapore creative director Elisabeth Pellen said the game was being made with a “new vision” and, as recently as February 2022, Ubisoft stated that Skull and Bones is now a "multiplayer first" game, suggesting that the mentions of single-player elements made in early E3 presentations no longer apply.

Despite these issues and delays, however, in recent months it’s been looking increasingly likely that the game could finally be preparing to launch because this leak certainly isn’t the first. 

Back in April, for instance, some gameplay footage was leaked (via VGC) and Tom Henderson reported Technical Playtest invites being distributed. Ubisoft’s apparent response to the leaks was to tell fans to “keep your eyes on the horizon”. 

Even more recently, in May the game was rated in South Korea and it was just a few days ago that it received its ESRB rating of ‘M’ for Mature. 

With all of these things considered, it does feel possible that Ubisoft could be gearing up for a Skull and Bones announcement. A November – or should we say Novemb-arrr – release date doesn’t feel outside the realms of possibility either. If it's not going to be a month where you can truly lean into the 'arrr' sound then, really, what's the point?

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Skull and Bones, Ubisoft’s long-delayed multiplayer pirate game, has had yet another change in management, as a veteran producer of Call of Duty joins its development team.

Neven Dravinksi worked as a senior producer on Call of Duty as far back as 2012’s Black Ops 2. He most recently directed the production of Warzone and Modern Warfare's live service elements. According to a press release, he’s joined Skull and Bones as a senior producer to shape the game’s vision and strategy

The press release made no mention of a potential release date. Ubisoft is still officially targeting a launch window between 2022 and 2023, and its language suggests the game is still very much in the thick of development. Dravinksi hasn’t been brought on to oversee the completion of the title, but to lead the development team as it continues work on the game.

“I am excited to join the talented teams of Ubisoft Singapore,” he said in a press release. ”The Skull and Bones development team is working on an incredibly exciting project, and I look forward to supporting them as they bring the game’s vision to life”.

A bumpy ride

That will be no mean feat. Skull and Bones has faced a turbulent development since it began life as an expansion to Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag back in 2013. A Kotaku report released last year detailed how its scope and gameplay had dramatically changed over the course of development, with its setting, core naval gameplay loop, and creative direction being radically upended throughout.

Skull and Bones has long been beleaguered by changes in management, too. Elizabeth Pellen is currently acting as the game’s third creative director, and it was only earlier this year that co-director Antoine Henry left the project.

That yet another senior manager is being introduced might be taken as a sign that the game’s tumultuous development isn’t yet behind it, as new hands are brought on to the ship to steer it into calmer waters. However, Ubisoft will likely be hoping Dravinski – and his 20 years of video game production experience – will be the key to curing Skull and Bones’ ills.

Earlier this year, six minutes of Skull and Bones gameplay was leaked on Reddit, giving us a glimpse of its naval combat, before being promptly removed for copyright violation. While it wasn’t clear at what stage of the game's production the video had been captured, PCGamer reckoned it looked fairly similar to what it had seen during a 2018 preview. Players journey across the high seas and skirmish in fast-paced naval combat, completing contracts to earn infamy and upgrade their ship.

Although originally slated to release in 2018, Ubisoft has delayed the game numerous times. It’s currently due to launch in the 2022 fiscal year, which would place it somewhere between April 2022 and April 2023. But even that wide margin may prove too soon.

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Ubisoft’s long-awaited and oft-delayed Skull and Bones has received a rating in South Korea, suggesting its release could be on the horizon. 

The rating for the Skull and Bones PC version was first spotted on South Korea’s Game Rating and Administration Committee website by Twitter user @the_marmolade (via VGC). According to the site, the game’s rating was filed on May 12 and it appears that it’s been classified as a Mature game and “not available for youth”. We realize a rated 'arrr' joke would be entirely unoriginal here which is why we're absolutely not making it. No way.

As far as details about the game that are provided by the rating, there’s nothing particularly in-depth. Describing it as “An open-world action game set in the Indian Ocean in the golden age of pirates as a background”, the listing cites instances of drug use, drinking and smoking in the game as the reasoning behind the decision. 

That Skull and Bones is now at the stage of being rated suggests its development is coming along and, perhaps, nearing completion. This comes only a couple of days after Ubisoft said in a financial briefing that it expects the game to launch in this financial year, so before April 2023, without giving an exact release date.

We’re not sure when we can expect our next official update on the progress of Skull and Bones, or when we’ll see a fresh look at it. However, Summer Game Fest is approaching and it’s sure to bring plenty of exciting reveals and updates from publishers. It could, therefore, be an ideal time for Ubisoft to give players a look at what it’s got up its sleeve for the rest of the financial year, though Ubisoft is yet to announce any plans.

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Analysis: Where has Skull and Bones been?

Skull and Bones hasn’t had the smoothest development, it’s safe to say. After being revealed all the way back in 2017, its release has been pushed back multiple times amidst reports of a reboot mid-development.

Indeed, in a September 2020 update, Ubisoft Singapore creative director Elisabeth Pellen said the game was being made with a “new vision” and, back in February 2022, Ubisoft stated that Skull and Bones is now a "multiplayer first" game, after early E3 presentations had made some mentions of single-player elements. 

More recently, in April a few minutes of gameplay footage was leaked (via VGC). Ubisoft appeared to respond by telling fans to “keep your eyes on the horizon”. At the end of April, Tom Henderson also reported invites for Technical Playtests being sent out. Overall, it’s all looking pretty promising that Skull and Bones could make that pre-April 2023 release.

It certainly feels like Skull and Bones has been a long-time coming. We went hands-on with the game all the way back at E3 2017 and 2018 and had a pretty good time it at both shows. Naturally, it’ll have changed since then so we’re looking forward to seeing what Ubisoft has planned. 

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In 2003, I developed a complicated relationship with Akella and Bethesda’s Pirates of the Caribbean. So desperate was I for a pirate game that offered a real sense of what it’d be like to swash and buckle with the best (or worst) of them I continually returned to this game, despite its frustratingly clumsy controls and unreasonable demands on my limited PC.

I was also a fan of Sid Meier’s Pirates! At the same time. But it offered a very different kind of experience – in some ways I wanted something with the more realistic visuals and intricate gameplay that Pirates of the Caribbean offered, but with the consistent action of Pirates!

A long 15 years later, I might finally have what I was looking for in Ubisoft’s 2019 Skull and Bones. During E3 2018, I had the chance to go hands on with the game for a short demo of its Hunting Grounds mode, where you’re thrown into an open ocean, populated by other players as well as AI foes.

Peak time on the High Seas

In my gameplay session, I was almost constantly engaged in some kind of naval combat in a world that felt extremely busy.

At the start of the demo, I was given the choice of three ships, each with different strengths and weaknesses. There was a large frigate - good for firepower but lacking on speed - and two smaller ships which were faster and more maneuverable, offering different special abilities.

I opted for a smaller ship called the Jaeger, as it was light and nimble enough for me to run away from a fight (my most realistic reaction to a naval battle I’d imagine) but it also had a powerful forward cannon attack if I ever felt the need to take chase.

Aside from these front-facing cannons, my ship was so loaded with artillery I’m frankly amazed it could stay afloat; between front and broadside cannons and long-range rockets there’s rarely a moment during a fight in Skull and Bones where you don’t have the capacity to be firing something.

Cannons blazing

Before you enter the Hunting Grounds, you’re given your Fortune for the session and my group received ‘Favorable Winds.’ This means great sailing conditions and an ocean filled with merchant traders to pursue. But it also means a lot more competition.

Although Skull and Bones has stunning and highly realistic visuals, don’t think it’s a game bogged down in exhaustingly accurate details. While you need to work with the wind like any real ship, your vessel in the game is relatively easy to control, able to reach great speeds, make sports car-tight turns and fire relentlessly. The learning curve isn’t prohibitively steep.

I spent most of my play session slicing through the water and picking off AI merchant vessels around the same level as me. Circling them so that they couldn’t escape I’d fire on their sails to slow them down before turning my force to the bulk of the ship.

As you do damage to other ships, you’ll find that gold can be picked up from the sea. Do enough damage and you can get close enough to board a ship (a cutscene) or you can simply send them to the depths. Most of the time, I opted for the latter.

While you’re out there pirating, it’s important to keep an eye out for the red sails of bounty hunters. These are extremely powerful AI enemies and if you’re sailing on your own and catch their attention, you really don’t stand much of a chance.

I was doing so well during my session that I wasn’t really sure why I’d been told that I might want to make alliances with other, real, players in the game world. ‘I’m clearly fine on my own’ I thought. And, then the Portuguese came.

The game gave me the objective of finding some Portuguese merchant vessels to loot and eventually I found some through using my spyglass. Three large frigates. I could see other players in my session near me that I could have attempted to forge a temporary alliance with but bolstered by the confidence of all my previous victories I went in all cannons firing.

It was carnage. The ships encircled me as I had done to others and swatted me like the fly I was. I lost all my treasure and re-spawned into the game world a more humbled pirate.

Of course, fighting with other people isn’t the only thing you can do. Towards the end of my session, I came across a ship wreck which I could loot for one of three things: treasure (of course), repair materials for my own ship, or a disguise.

It’s the latter option that made me really keen to come back to Skull and Bones at a later time for a deeper dive into what it might offer. The idea that you can don the colors of a nation in order to get close enough to attack another ship without them attempting to flee.

All of this action also true of the multiplayer 5 versus 5 mode that I played during E3 2017 too, though that was more team-based than the fend for yourself format of Hunting Grounds.

Second impressions

From the limited time that I’ve had with Skull and Bones my overall impression is that this is a ferociously action-packed game, especially since I had recently been playing the very different and more leisurely paced Sea of Thieves.

That said, while it’s easy to get caught up and lost in the action of Skull and Bones I think this is a game that will take thought and skill to be consistently successful in. I’ve already learned that simply firing on whoever you like will only get you so far and I think given more time with the game, making and breaking alliances with other players will be an integral part of playing Skull and Bones. Picking your battles is likely to be the formula for success. 

Between realizing the importance of alliances and discovering that I can loot shipwrecks for more than treasure, this is the first time in playing Skull and Bones that I've had a hint of it having some degree of engaging depth. We've still got a while before it launches in 2019 and I'm looking forward to seeing more.

If you are too, you can sign up for the beta right now.

•  E3 is the world's largest exhibition for the games industry, stuffed full of the latest and greatest games, consoles, and gaming hardware. TechRadar is reporting live from Los Angeles all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated E3 2018 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about the next year in gaming.   

E3 2017 has revealed that come 2018, we’ll have not one, but two big pirate games to choose from: Rare’s Sea of Thieves and Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones.

Though it’d be easy to assume that these games will be going blade to blade as direct competitors on the market, having been hands-on with both titles at E3, we at TechRadar are inclined to say there’s room for both of them.

Yes, they share many similarities, but there are distinct differences between the games and it’ll entirely depend on what you want from a piratical adventure which one you choose; you might even opt for both. 

Visuals and tone 

As far as graphics, visuals and overall tone are concerned, Skull and Bones and Sea of Thieves couldn’t be more different. 

Sea of Thieves not only has that signature Rare stylized cartoonish look, it’s also filled with quirky features. You eat bananas to regain health, and our character even had an accordion in their inventory which we were big fans of busting out and playing at the slightest provocation. Our teammates were not amused. 

Skull and Bones is clearly aiming much more for a realism that borders on simulation. Its visuals err more on the side of cinematic than cartoonish and compared to Sea of Thieves' Monkey Island-inspired color palate, Skull and Bones is much more muted and akin to Assassin's Creed Black Flag. 

When it comes to Skull and Bones, there are far fewer silly laughs to be had. Instead you’re more likely to be darkly chuckling as you sink an enemy ship and steal its loot. 

All for one and one for all gameplay

Though Skull and Bones does posit itself as a pirate game, at the moment there’s less focus on you as an individual pirate and more focus on you as a collective pirate ship. 

In the 5-versus-5 match we played, you pick a pirate ship class based on what kind of combat style you prefer (whether that’s long-range cannon fire or effectively being a floating battering ram) and you can then upgrade it and improve it in an RPG-style system.

From what we understand, Skull and Bones will revolve around building a strong fleet of ships which you can customize and direct to take down other groups of pirates, with the overall aim of becoming the most powerful presence on the high seas.

Meanwhile, Sea of Thieves is much more of a cooperative experience. You each play as a single crew member, and none of you are able to do everything you need to do to keep the ship afloat alone. From manning the cannons, to steering the ship, and patching up the hull with planks of wood, everyone will need to tackle separate tasks if you want to survive. 

Combat and tactics

Skull and Bones seems less focused on encouraging exploration of the open seas as it is on encouraging domination of them. Considering the game’s origin is the naval combat elements of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag this heavy emphasis on combat isn’t entirely surprising. 

The combat revolves around using your ship's cannons to take down enemy vessels and though you can board enemy ships, this sequence is automated and you don’t actually engage in any hand-to-hand combat. 

Sailing and combat in Skull and Bones are fairly tactical; there’s a wind direction system located in a mini map in the bottom right hand corner of your screen and to pick up a decent amount of speed in order to escape enemies (or chase them down) you have to be sailing with the wind rather than against it. 

Moving along to Sea of Thieves, there are certain similarities. You need to be aware of the wind’s direction and pitch your sails accordingly, and you’ll also find yourself caught up in combat situations on a fairly regular basis. 

However, there are a couple of crucial differences. 

Though combat is present it’s hardly the game’s main focus. You’ll spend much more of your time simply sailing the open seas looking for adventure, and searching for that sweet sweet booty. 

Then, once you actually get into combat, you’re given much more freedom with where you can go and what you can do. You can either sit tight on your own ship, or you can jump into one of the canons and fire yourself across to the enemy’s ship and take the crew members on directly. You can even jump into the sea itself, although we wouldn’t recommend this unless you want to shortly find yourself in Davy Jones’ Locker.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Like Sea of Thieves, Skull and Bones involves playing online with others. We played a five-versus-five match in our E3 demo, but according to Ubisoft there’ll also be modes where you’ll be able to play online alone. 

In our match it was important to coordinate with your team to take down enemy ships and escape with as much loot as possible. As victory revolves around loot rather than the amount of ships destroyed, there’s a definite encouragement of cooperative play. 

If there’s a ship on your team with more loot than any other, it’s important that you help them escape at the end of the level (even if it means sacrificing yourself) as they’re you’re best chance at winning. 

It’s a similar story with Sea of Thieves, although here you’ll be cooperating within a single crew rather than across different ships. From manning the sails to firing the cannons, everyone has their own job, and you’ll need to work together to avoid sinking. 

That said, if you don’t want to work with as big a team, smaller ships which need a smaller number of people to crew are also available. 

More to come

Skull and Bones is still in the early stages of development at the moment, so we’d be wary of judging it too much at this point. We were told by Ubisoft that there would indeed be other modes when the game is released, so whether or not the game will explore beyond naval combat and perhaps allow the player to leave their ship as an individual avatar and explore is unclear. 

Sea of Thieves is much further along in development, and has been in closed beta for a number of months now. However, the game is still changing on a regular basis, as developers Rare take feedback and data from the community to change and develop the game. 

However, it seems at this point that Sea of Thieves is a much broader experience than Skull and Bones which encompasses all aspects of piracy rather than simply naval combat. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s definitely going to be the better game, as Skull and Bones may benefit from this much more focused approach. 

Both games are offering creative and interesting takes on what it means to be a pirate, and it’s great to see the setting being explored by two world-class developers. 

One advantage Skull and Bones might have over Sea of Thieves is that the latter is an Xbox exclusive with Windows 10 compatibility, while Skull and Bones will be available to PlayStation, Xbox and PC owners.

Overall, we found that Skull and Bones seems like the ideal game for players looking for gritty realism and a focus on tactical navy combat rather than the light-hearted and romantic exploration offered by Sea of Thieves. 

But, as far as we’re concerned, there’s plenty of space in the wide world of gaming for both games to get us our pirate fix. 

• E3 is the world's largest exhibition for the games industry, stuffed full of the latest and greatest games, consoles, and gaming hardware. TechRadar is reporting live from Los Angeles all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated E3 2017 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about the next year in gaming.