It’s now been over 3 years since Ubisoft first unveiled their ambitious pirate game, Skull and Bones. Originally touted as what was planned to be a new ongoing IP vanished off the high seas almost as quickly as it appeared. The game hasn’t been at an E3 since 2018, and it missed Ubisoft’s Forward event this weekend. This has prompted many to wonder if the game has been canceled. Well, rumor is that it is still in development, but it’s going through some big changes.
VGC reports that the game is still in development at the publisher, but that said development has been rebooted. According to their sources, it seems the game is taking on a direction more akin to Microsoft and Rare’s Sea of Thieves. It’s no longer just focusing on PvP pirate action, but also includes new missions with “live service storytelling” that focuses on collaboration, with storylines and quests.
It also will move away from the original idea of a “premium box” model and more to traditional live service support with these new events. Reportedly, the game’s rebooted development last year led to leadership changes in the team, with Justin Farren being replaced by Elisabeth Pellen as creative director. Pellen, formerly editorial VP, also wrote and directed the 2003 shooter XIII, and worked on Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow.
This is actually the second time we’d heard something with reference to development being retooled, as Bloomberg’s Jason Scherier mentioned earlier this year that a development reboot happened sometime in 2018.
Skull and Bones was originally announced for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, but if these rumors are true, it will most likely not come out for another few years, and then for next generation consoles. Considering the silence on the game, I imagine that’s a pretty good bet.
