Following recent delays and cancellations out of Ubisoft, the only two notable games releasing by the end of the year are Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Skull and Bones. The latter is Ubisoft’s pirate game focused on naval combat, built from the concept of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. It’s no secret the game has been in development hell for some time, changing its setting three times overall.
Furthermore, things shown in the past like the Kraken of pirate mythology will not be in Skull and Bones, as it seems to aim to be a grittier, more grounded take on the pirate genre. It is a multiplayer-first live-service game, and Ubisoft intends to support it for years to come. Perhaps the best part is everything is going to be free, but it’s understandable if a few are worried about the title.
After all, per a new report, a few of the developers working on Skull and Bones are worried about it too. Kotaku has spoken with a few of these developers, all under the condition of anonymity, and many of them are worried about it. Skull and Bones has reportedly eaten up a huge budget, while some of the devs who’ve worked on it are skeptical about its success.
One developer went so far as to say that “each individual part of the game lacked depth.” This is because there is allegedly little more to Skull and Bones that fans haven’t seen. If everything to a game can be wrapped up in the one Ubisoft Showcase it received, that may not be the best sign. It seems there are a ton of management and resource-gathering survival simulator mechanics in the game, but they may not go anywhere—based on this dev’s response.
However, fans should be aware it is a live-service game, and more is coming to Skull and Bones than what’s been revealed for launch. Exactly what that entails and if its launch content is enough for fans remains to be seen, but it seems there is some skepticism and doubt about its launch.
It’s unlucky, too, that Skull and Bones releases on November 8. November is always a busy month, and there are plenty of games coming out this year, such as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and God of War Ragnarok. In fact, God of War Ragnarok comes out right after Skull and Bones on November 9, so it may not be all smooth sailing from here.
Skull and Bones releases November 8 for PC, PS5, Stadia, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Kotaku