Ubisoft has undergone significant changes according to a series of reports, including one from Ubisoft itself. However, it seems like the people who have been removed were actually in positions of importance. This could shine a light on why behaviour was tolerated because now games are starting over. Skull & Bones has always been in development hell, I’ve never seen a playable build of this thing. Now though, it’s been delayed out of 2021, with no end date in sight. It sounds like development has had to restart entirely because the leader for the project has been forced to leave due to their actions.
Skull & Bones was originally set to be a pirate MMO. Players could enter an open world and control their ship in the same style found in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Over time, that vision has changed, and I have no idea what it’s meant to be now. It’s been through so many changes that it could be something else entirely. Whatever it is, it’s not coming anytime soon. With all the resources Ubisoft is putting into the game though, it looks like it’ll be something good. The company wouldn’t waste money in this way unless it knew it had something good on its hands.
I’ve been a fan of Skull & Bones since it was announced. While it’s missed the boat so to speak with Sea of Thieves on the market, it’s still got potential. There can only be so much seafaring in a single game, and for those who want the slicker controls shown in early demos of Skull & Bones, this is going to be a great alternative. My best guess is that this game will be a multiplayer-focused affair now, with support planned out as it is in For Honor and countless other multiplayer games.
It sucks for those working on this game that it had to be delayed. It’s worse that all of their work has probably been canned in this move to restart. I hope that it comes back stronger though, because the world needs what this game promised, some hot pirate action that calls back to the ultimate pirate Assassin’s Creed game.