Ubisoft has finally shown off the first official gameplay footage from its upcoming pirate adventure Skull and Bones. On top of this, viewers of the Ubisoft Forward Spotlight event were treated to a gorgeously detailed cinematic. Oh, and an intense 12 or so minutes of woodcarving before the big reveal, just to get us in the mood for some high seas action. There’s a lot to take in from the Skull and Bones reveal, so strap in for some of what we know so far.
In addition to the footage and cinematic feature, Ubisoft also revealed a launch date for Skull and Bones of November 8. The live stream gave viewers a chance to check out some of the game’s features, including the different types of ships players will be able to take command of during their ventures across the Indian Ocean. It was also revealed that Skull and Bones has been designed to support both solo and co-op play, which looks set to add an exciting dimension to the naval-based combat and massive open-world exploration that’s on offer.
Check out the game’s “Long Live Piracy” cinematic right here for a look at the world of Skull and Bones for yourself.
The showcase also treated us to a look at some of Skull and Bones’ gameplay in real-time, which so far looks incredibly detailed and complex. This is probably down to the variety of proposed content and game modes, such as opt-in PVP servers, forts and settlements that can be raided, a variety of customisable ships and armour and blueprint-based crafting, to name a few things. The game also offers an “infamy”-based progression system in which players can build themselves up from fledgeling outcasts to the captain of their own pirate fleet.
Work-in-progress gameplay footage also showed off some of the naval and up-close combat that players can expect, with fights on the high seas forming a core component of the game’s playstyle. Catch up on the gameplay reveal here, towards the end of the video, to get a feel for the ambitious-looking project.
Signups are now available for the Skull and Bones Insider Program, which will allow players to opt-in to early playtests of the game prior to its launch in November. This will be open to players on PC via Ubisoft connect. However, pre-orders for Skull and Bones are open now for players on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, Google Stadia and PC via the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store.
