Ubisoft's Skull And Bones Single-Player Story Is A Shared Experience

While Ubisoft’s upcoming Skull and Bones is set to be a pirate-themed jaunt through the seas [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

Skull 3
(Photo: Ubisoft)

While Ubisoft's upcoming Skull and Bones is set to be a pirate-themed jaunt through the seas with an emphasis on PvP action, a previously promised single-player narrative mode will give players the chance to be more independent. According to recent updates from the team working on the game, the single-player experience will still be intertwined with some aspects of the multiplayer modes, so a completely standalone story might not necessarily be the end result.

In an interview with GameSpot, Justin Farren, the creative director of Skull and Bones, the director described the game has having a narrative that's shared between players, indicating that you might not be as alone as you think during single-player modes. Players can expect an experience that's streamable and shareable with others, but one that's still unique to each player.

"Like, how do you create a systemic world where every single player's experience is different and also tie it to a world narrative where you meet historical pirates, historically inspired characters, and that you have a narrative where you develop a bond with your crew and interesting characters along the way, taking out kingpins, all those things are part of our narrative," Farren said. "But we didn't want it to be separate, that you just consumed and never looked back."

Instead of a one-and-done story that might not provide a lasting experience for players, the narrative that's being proposed for Skull and Bones will instead span the course of several months, perhaps even years. He added that those who typically gear their gameplay more towards either PvE or PvP elements should still be able to get something worthwhile out of the alternate mode. He agrees that it's a different approach than what's usually taken by games, but the plan will allow players to "experience narrative on a personal level."

While the prospect of a PvP-centered game might turn away those looking for a single-player experience, Farren encourages players to at least give the mode a shot.

"I certainly hope that people will try to do our PvP, because we think it's pretty compelling and it's not a different ... like Call of Duty when you play campaign and you go online, [and you get something very different]," he said. "I worked on Gears for a while and the players who play Gears multiplayer, they are different some times than the players who really invest in campaign. We want to bring those experiences closer together. For it to be a, you know, a one-off campaign that's consumed, would be a shame."

Skull and Bones is scheduled to release in 2018 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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