It’s fair to say that, since Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones debuted all the way back at E3 2017, the game’s development has metaphorically hit rough seas. Based on credible insider leaks and the publisher’s own silence, it appears as though the one-time Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag spin-off has been rebooted several times since its public unveiling. For a long time, fans have been left to wonder when, or even if, they’d see the game in a substantial capacity again.
Over the last few months, however, several news stories have popped up online which suggest that wait won’t go on for much longer. Beyond Ubisoft’s recently announced Skull and Bones Insider program, one video that’s leaked onto the internet offers a 6-minute look at the current iteration of the game in action. While there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic about Skull and Bones’ overall future as a result, the footage still bears all the scars of the title’s ongoing development hell.
Skull and Bones’ Leaked Gameplay
It’s worth keeping in mind that judging a game before its release via leaked footage is a risky business. Beyond the fact that real-people are still working hard to bring their vision to life, there’s always a chance that a project could come together in the final stages of development. With those caveats being said and kept in mind, it’s fair to also acknowledge that the recently leaked Skull and Bones footage is on the rough side of things - especially for a game that’s now been in development for close to a decade.
Throughout the leaked footage, which appears to be the video Ubisoft Singapore was planning to show off during the upcoming E3 season, fans are given an extensive reintroduction to Skull and Bones. While it can be argued that graphics aren't everything when it comes to quality, it should be acknowledged that the game doesn’t quite reflect the $120 million+ Ubisoft was reported to have invested into it by early 2021. From a UI perspective in particular, what's shown off looks to be on the simplistic side of things. Both aspects reflect the number of times Skull and Bones has seemingly been rebooted over the years.
Over the six minutes that the video goes on for, players are shown several gameplay concepts that they’ll get to play around with when Skull and Bones finally launches. For the most part, after all the setbacks that Ubisoft has experienced, what’s on offer appears to now be a watered down version of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Multiplayer features that are akin to the game’s pirate-themed rival Sea of Thieves are also ominously spoken about without being shown in real-time.
Skull and Bones’ Current State
The biggest problem with Skull and Bones’ recent leaked gameplay footage is the fact that fans had been led to believe they were going to get so much more. Thanks to credible leaks and insider reports, there’s been a sense that Ubisoft Singapore was attempting to create a more ambitious version of its pirate simulator. While the game’s boats and naval combat were always going to be an integral part of the equation, the ability to explore the world away from the sea was reported to be just as important.
Based on the leaked footage, though, this concept has seemingly been scaled back as development on Skull and Bones has continued to falter. So much so that in an awkward part of the leaked video, a ship is shown harvesting a tree rather than a human-controlled character. The most recent leak makes it clear that, aside from select hub locations, players will be locked to and undertake most activities from the comfort of their vessels. Gone are the rumored sword fights and the exciting, controllable raiding parties.
In general, the latest Skull and Bones leak and the content it crucially lacks demonstrates just how difficult the game's creation has been for all parties involved. While the extent of the development hell it’s been in will likely remain a secret for some time, there’s a sense that an official response will be released soon. Thanks to Ubisoft’s determination to remove the leak from the internet, it looks as though the publisher is gearing up to show-off the current incarnation of Skull and Bones in the coming months.
Skull and Bones is currently in development.