Pirate multiplayer game Skull & Bones has been hit with yet another delay. Publisher Ubisoft has confirmed in today’s financial earnings call that the game will now come out in 2022 at the earliest.
The game, which was first revealed at E3 2017, has been delayed multiple times over the course of development. Originally positioned as a quick follow-up to the goodwill garnered by the ship combat of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and its direct sequel, the game has now been rebooted into a live service game that could end up free to play.
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Following its initial reveal in 2017, the game was playable at several events by the press and the gaming public. Basic gameplay followed the same patterns as Black Flag, with players piloting a massive pirate vessel against other human-controlled and AI ships.
It’s unclear how much of this gameplay has survived into the new Skull & Bones. According to a VGC report, Ubisoft Singapore has restarted the entire process as of 2019. The game reportedly now has a “live storytelling” model in the vein of Fortnite, meaning seasons of content and an everchanging map are likely on the table.
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There are also reports that the game wants to extend beyond the competitive action audience of Ubisoft’s other titles, which clashes with the gameplay initially shown off from the title. It’s also unknown if the game’s planned television spin-off is still in the works.
It’s possible that Ubisoft will have more to say this summer as a part of their Ubisoft Connect event, especially if the game is aiming for a release early in 2022. However, it’s just as possible that they will wait as long as possible to re-reveal what Skull & Bones has become to the general public.
