Developing a video game can be treacherous waters to navigate, even for the biggest studios in the world. And no game seems to be a better cautionary tale in recent times than Skull & Bones, Ubisoft’s big Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag spin-off that the company has delayed so many times, it’s now scheduled to come out a decade after its source material’s release.
That’s right: Skull & Bones was delayed again today, shifting from a target of November of this year to March 9, 2023, as first reported by Kotaku. How do you capitalize on the popularity of AC4’s naval combat and ship upgrade system? By not releasing its spin-off for 10 years, baby.
In its blog post confirming Kotaku’s report, Ubisoft didn’t give much insight into the delay outside of its team needing more time for “polishing and balancing” the game before it was released into the world. That’s sure to be more crushing disappointment for fans who’ve seen the game delayed, and delayed, and delayed some more, but Ubisoft did begin its two-paragraph blog with “Ahoy there, privateers,” so that’s sure to cheer people right up.
Undoubtedly, the pandemic did not help Skull & Bones’ case. But the game was mired in development long before that, as it was delayed multiple times before 2020. Reports on the game’s many changes and lack of clear vision in development don’t exactly inspire confidence that the game would have come sooner even without COVID-19 around, either.
So now, here we are. There is a Skull & Bones game, even if players still don’t really know all that much about what it is and everything you can do in it. You definitely sail around, fight other ships, and gather supplies, but are the land activities in the game restricted to going into towns? Is combat restricted to boats? And is the game inspired by a 2013 Assassin’s Creed game really going to have the graphics of a 2013 Assassin’s Creed game like the trailers suggest? Who is still waiting around to play this game?
All of these questions and more can be yours to answer for the low price of $70 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Oh, and don’t forget the microtransactions, because this is a live-service game that you also must pay $70 up front to play.
Skull & Bones might very well turn out to be a fun game that many people enjoy and feel that the money they spent on it was worth it. The various questions and criticisms listed above might all be met and answered successfully. But at the moment, another delay to the game is leaving those who have dutifully waited for it lost at sea, with no rescue in sight.
