A video of the unreleased pirate game Skull & Bones leaked online late on April 28. And in response, Ubisoft is seemingly promising an update on the long-awaited, multiplayer-focused title.
This footage that popped up on Reddit (which has since been taken down but can be found on ResetEra) consists of four minutes taken from a technical test that Ubisoft just allegedly sent out invites for. The clip appears to be ripped directly from Ubisoft’s promotional materials, as it features a narrated tutorial video detailing many of the game’s mechanics, which the publisher does for almost all of its releases.
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Keep your eyes on the horizon… ?️ pic.twitter.com/BWaH9QfYUb
— Skull and Bones (@skullnbonesgame) April 29, 2022
Following the leak, Ubisoft took to social media, essentially acknowledging the footage as real by telling fans to “keep [their] eyes on the horizon” in a new tweet featuring a brief clip from the game. It’s unclear exactly what Ubisoft is teasing, but it seems as if the company is at least getting ready to talk more about the game that has been in development since 2013. However, Ubisoft might have already been building up to talking about the game regardless of the leak since its site was rebranded earlier this week.
According to the video, players will start out the game as a bit of an underdog pirate with the end goal being to become the most infamous pirate ever to sail the seas. In order to accomplish this, users will need to raise their infamy, which seems to operate like levels in this game. Infamy can be raised by completing contracts, exploring, digging up treasure, or by taking down other opponents.
Much like other pirate games, players will also need to keep careful watch over their ship and everything in it. They’ll be able to stock up prior to the launch of an expedition, and will need to make sure they have enough cargo and rations in order to keep their ship and crew healthy enough to prevent disaster, or a mutiny, which can seemingly happen if the crew becomes too tired, hungry, or damaged.
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Online multiplayer is also a main focus in Skull & Bones, and looks to operate similarly to a game like Sea of Thieves, with players constantly surrounded by other players. Passing ships can either choose to peacefully drift by or launch attacks, setting off a battle that will lead to one crew commandeering a ton of loot and cargo. Many of these gameplay features are awfully similar to the ones that insider Tom Henderson tweeted out in September 2021, including the Indian Ocean setting.
Skull & Bones has had a tumultuous development even before its 2017 reveal. It started out as an add-on for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag that changed to keep up with the times and was pushed multiple times. According to a Kotaku report, there seems to be many reasons — from bad management to lack of clear direction to it having muddled design — behind its delays, but it appears as though it is finally sailing over the finish line and will reappear before players in due time. And the time is supposed to be sometime between 2022 and 2023.
