According to an earnings call with Ubisoft CEO Frédérick Duguet, the upcoming Skull & Bones game will be a “multiplayer-first” title. The pirate-themed game has been delayed numerous times, with its current expected launch date being this coming April. After the game was first announced nearly five years ago, Skull & Bones suffered another hurdle when it was internally rebooted in 2020 to give the game a new direction. From the looks of it, that new direction gave the game a multiplayer focus.
In an earnings call this past Thursday, Duguet said, “It’s a very promising new IP focussing on multiplayer first, so very consistent with our strategy to bring multiplayer competition and co-op first in a big open world, with a great, attractive fantasy.” Adding, “That’s of course a longer development time that we’ve had on that game, but we’re very happy with the artistic direction and the progress of the game so far.”
When Ubisoft first introduced the world to Skull & Bones, the company described the game as one where players would be able to explore the Indian Ocean in multiplayer with friends or on their own in a single-player campaign. Although, the new version of the game seems to have veered paths, focusing on multiplayer and adopting a live service model.
Trusted industry insider Tom Henderson said last September, the game would have “5 tiers of ships (small, medium, large, etc.) and are categorized into three different categories. Cargo, Combat, and Exploration. Unlocking different ships are tied to blueprints, which you can buy at different settlements.” Continuing, “Buying a blueprint isn’t the only hurdle though, as you’ll need the right amount of resources such as wood, metal, and fiber to build your ship. A bigger ship doesn’t mean a better ship either, as smaller ships are more nimble and can go where bigger ships can’t.”
If Ubisoft sticks to the current schedule, Skull & Bones will launch in April 2022 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
