Ubisoft Has Reportedly Rebooted Skull & Bones Multiple Times

Back in May of last year, it was revealed that Ubisoft was not only not bringing Skull & Bones to E3 2019, but the game was being delayed with no release date or window in sight. Fast-forward to today, and Ubisoft confirmed the game will not be releasing during this upcoming fiscal year, which is to say it won’t be dropping anywhere between April 2020 and March 2021. Whether it will hit the next fiscal year, who knows, but according to Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, not only is the game far off, but it’s been rebooted several times and lost its creative director toward the end of 2018.

In other words, the game is in a bit of development hell, as we suspected. What’s interesting though is that it’s been rebooted so many times and lost its creative lead, which suggests that by the time it resurfaces it could be a very different game.

For those that don’t know: the game was said to take place in the golden age of Piracy, where Renegade captains command the most powerful weapons on Earth: warships. In this world, you play as an insatiable upstart pirate captain who has refused the king’s pardon. Having nothing to lose, you sail all the way from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, where an exotic and untamed frontier full of riches awaits you. This was the pitch of the Skull & Bones at the time of announcement, whether it’s still accurate or not, who knows.

“Choose your own pirate captain and grow into the fierce legend that you have always wanted to be,” adds an official blurb about the game. “Select your pirate ship class based on your preferred playstyle, evolving it with a rich RPG system. From the safe harbor of your hideout, recruit your crew, customize the ship of your dreams, and pick up on the latest rumors before you set sail to leave your mark on the world. With each successful heist, as your wealth and reputation increases, the world and other players begin to challenge your ascension. Sailing alone becomes a dangerous gamble. Your long-term survival depends on your ability to form the most powerful pirate gang in the Indian Ocean.”

Skulls & Bones is said to be in development for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but at this point it may be a next-gen release.