Skull and Bones might set sail sooner than you think, but later than planned

Beset by delays so much so that some questioned if it would ever come out, Ubisoft Singapore’s Skull and Bones may just have reached clear tides at last. Following its last release update of the fiscal year-end, it appears that ‘X’ should mark Feb. 16 on your calendars.

Thanks to Insider Gaming, those waiting desperately to learn of this pirate game’s fate seem to have had their patience rewarded at last. Ubisoft paid mention to Skull and Bones in October, suggesting 2023/24 Q4 as a new launch window. Darryl Long, incoming Toronto Managing Director, further backed this belief by even going as specific as to state between January and March.

It appears that The Game Awards may well be the place to look for official confirmation next week according to Insider. Pre-orders have been live for years by this stage, but Ubisoft is reportedly adding a ‘Premium’ edition into the mix which will set buyers back an extra $15-$20. The first game to be led by Singapore following a long history of supporting the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Skull and Bones was revealed all the way back at Ubisoft’s E3 2017 press conference. Drawing inspiration from one of the previous titles it worked on, Black Flag, Singapore’s aim was to create a third-person, tactical action game featuring customizable ships.

Unfortunately, the hype boat hit the rocks even upon the public learning of its existence. Back then, everybody was gearing up for the release of Rare’s Sea of Thieves which went on to roaring success upon launch in 2018. Whether a direct competitor worried Ubisoft is up for debate, but one thing is certain—Skull and Bones suffered more delays than expected.

September 2020 was the most significant update before this one, claiming that the game had undergone a complete shift in vision. Other studios, including Berlin, had been drafted onto the game’s production timeline to co-develop. So tormented was this title’s development that a new console generation has emerged in the meantime. Originally intended for release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Skull and Bones will now hit PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. 

Just what this game looks like now is anybody’s guess. If it is to re-emerge from the void on Dec. 7, a trailer and gameplay must be awaiting us alongside official confirmation on that release date. We hope for Ubisoft’s sake that, with Sea of Thieves cooled off, new pirate game royalty is set to seize the throne.