As Skull and Bones was finally close to its long-anticipated release, fans were greeted with unfortunate news this week. This troubled Ubisoft title has been struggling to make headway toward release for the better part of five years. Ever since it was announced at E3 2017, it seems like this promising pirate simulator has seen nothing but trouble. Skull and Bones reappeared at several events in various forms, gradually betraying that its development was going poorly. An alleged chronicle of its internal history was published in 2021 by Kotaku, and it was a grim sight.
Now, just a short while before its recently announced March 2023 release window, Ubisoft has delayed the game again. Skull and Bones' release now falls early in the 2023 and 2024 fiscal year, and a team of Ubisoft employees has been sent to the developer Ubisoft Singapore to help polish it. That's a bad look for this game, and it's tempered fan expectations after seeing 2022 gameplay footage reach an all-time low. It's a shame too, as Skull and Bones was never meant to be a drawn-out project. The original vision was always meant to build off the hype of the beloved sailing from Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Made Skull and Bones What It Is
No one who's kept up with Skull and Bones can avoid hearing about Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Released in 2013 as the sixth main series title In Assassin's Creed, Black Flag has developed a reputation as the last great Assassin's Creed game developed in its original style. After a string of middling entries, 2017's Assassin's Creed Origins shifted the franchise from a stealth platformer toward being an open-world action RPG. Arguably, Black Flag was the first instance of this new direction, but that's given it a unique identity.
Regular Assassin's Creed gameplay is the last thing on fans' minds when they're discussing this game, however. The true Black Flag experience is its excellent simulation of commandeering a pirate ship. In a move that would become a series staple in Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Valhalla, players could sail around the map in a customizable vessel, singing shanties with their crew as they raid other boats or jump off and grab some treasure nestled in a small island's shallows. AAA gaming hadn't attempted a thorough pirate experience like this before, and it was so well-received that Ubisoft turned a multiplayer naval expansion into the title now known as Skull and Bones.
Something Should Prepare Fans For Skull and Bones' Release
The game has been stuck in development hell ever since. While the end may be in sight, fans suspect that it's not going to be what was promised. Meanwhile, the Assassin's Creed franchise has transformed into something almost completely different, and the leftover sailing aspects are treated more like a side attraction than a core gameplay feature. Sea of Thieves and the Pirates of the Caribbean world in Kingdom Hearts 3 have been the best attempts at recapturing AC4's sailing experience, and both could have been caused by the hype surrounding Black Flag.
If Skull and Bones is going to restore fan enthusiasm, there must be a reminder of why it was created in the first place. Ubisoft needs another project comparable to Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag to bolster Skull and Bones. Perhaps Black Flag Infinite, the working title of Skull and Bones, could be resurrected. Responsibility would be handed to a studio typically known for Assassin's Creed development, preferably one that could support the variety of activities that made Black Flag work. A Black Flag expansion for the upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage could do the trick, bringing sailing back into focus. Whatever the method, it needs to come soon, because Skull and Bones could use some help finally pulling ashore.
Skull and Bones is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.