Skull and Bones Interview Undersells Customization Options

In a recent interview with Seasoned Gaming, Elisabeth Pellen a Creative Director at Ubisoft answered some questions about the upcoming game Skull and Bones. In the interview, a question regarding the game’s similarities to other pirate adventures was side-stepped when it could have been a chance to emphasize the customization Skull and Bones offers.

[Seasoned Gaming:] It would be silly not to acknowledge that there will be comparisons made between Skull and Bones and other pirate titles, Sea of Thieves being the one that comes to mind. How is the team at Ubisoft Singapore differentiating themselves from Sea of Thieves, Atlas, or any other comparative titles?

EP: With Skull and Bones, we wanted to take naval combat to the next level. In order to do so, we’ve focused on creating a navigation and aiming system that is intuitive and easy to understand but has enough depth that it is difficult to master. To support that, we’ve developed a large variety of ships, weapons and furniture to enhance the naval combat experience.

Seasoned Gaming

Sea of Thieves is arguably the big kid on the block when it comes to open world pirate adventures so it makes sense the two games would be compared. Both these games have a “navigation and aiming system that is intuitive and… has enough depth”, and both these games have a variety of ship types and furniture. So what is it that sets Skull and Bones apart?

Sea of Thieves prides itself on its lateral progression. This means that progression in-game ought to have no gameplay impact and is purely cosmetic. A fresh-faced sailor with his rusty default cutlass and freshly-laundered sails stands on the same footing as the most grizzled saltbeard whose hull glows with the cursed magic of the Sea of The Damned. This is what sets Skull and Bones apart.

As we saw in the gameplay reveal earlier this month, players in Ubisoft’s new pirate game aren’t just fighting for new cosmetics. They’re fighting for new and upgraded weapons, modules that alter the way their ship maneuvers and fights. It was a good opportunity for Ms. Pellen to discuss these changes in the context of their competition and what they offer that Sea of Thieves doesn’t.

To be completely fair, the interview does later segue into these features, but for players already invested in Sea of Thieves or Atlas it was a missed opportunity to speak to them directly about what sets Skull and Bones apart.

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