Ubisoft’s self-proclaimed “AAAA” pirate game Skull and Bones is finally here, and while the PvP part of the game is entirely optional, high-level captains have already found a way to ruin the experience of low-level players.
26.01.2024 - 16:57 / gamingbolt.com / Ubisoft
After years of delays, reboots, and all manner of behind-the-scenes issues, Skull and Bones is finally less than a month away from launch, and ahead of its looming release, Ubisoft is going to allow everyone to test the waters before deciding if you want to fully dive in.
An open beta has been announced for Skull and Bones. From February 7, 6 PM PT to February 11, 3 PM PT, players on all platforms will be able to get a taste of the upcoming multiplayer pirate game, with pre-loading set to becomg available on February 6, 1 AM PT.
The Coast of Africa, the game’s starting region, will be included, as will the Red Isle, where you’ll find the pirate den of Sainte-Anne, a hub location where players will be able to interact with others playing the game, craft weapons, ships, and equipment, store loot, repair ships, sell items, and more.
While the Coast of Africa and the Red Isle were both also included in Skull and Bones’ closed beta in December, the upcoming open beta will also let players explore the Open Seas, and cross over into a new region in the form of the East Indies, where you’ll find the region’s pirate den, Telok Penjarah.
Campaign contracts will be available up until the contract named “Exterminate the Rat”. Additionally, though the open beta’s level cap won’t let you progress beyond the rank of Brigand (Tier 6, Rank 1), players will be allowed to continue exploring and playing. Other content in the beta will include side contracts, repeatable contracts, bounty contracts, and World Events.
The open beta will also allow players to unlock various exclusive rewards, and will come with cross-play and cross-progression enabled. Any progress you make in the beta will also carry over into the full game, should you choose to play it.
Ubisoft recently also revealed post-launch details for Skull and Bones, revealing its plans for the game’s first year, which will include four seasons bringing new World Events, legendary Pirate Lords to battle, and more. Additionally, new details have also been revealed on what to expect from Skull and Bones’ endgame content.
Skull and Bones launches on February 16 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Ubisoft’s self-proclaimed “AAAA” pirate game Skull and Bones is finally here, and while the PvP part of the game is entirely optional, high-level captains have already found a way to ruin the experience of low-level players.
Despite being delayed six times so far, Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot is highly confident in Skull and Bones, so much so that he is tempting fate, invoking the dreaded «AAAA» moniker. The last developer we can recall doing that was the ill-fated Striking Distance Studios with The Callisto Protocol, a game with a sad ending.
We almost don't want to believe it, but it looks like Skull and Bones really will be launching on 16th February. After that long and difficult journey, Ubisoft's oft-delayed pirate action game is almost ready to drop anchor. Just before that happens, though, all players will be able to take it for a spin for free via an open beta test.
I haven’t followed the development of Skull and Bones too closely over the years; I’d see the pirate game emerge at a show with a new trailer or demo, and then sink back beneath the waves with delay after delay. So when Ubisoft opened the game to the public with an open beta recently, I was intrigued to see how the close-to-final product looked. I’ve been known to enjoy a spot of piracy, and Ubisoft has the incredible Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag in its back catalogue, after all.
Like spotting the first sign of shore after years adrift, Skull and Bones has finally, actually found its way to launch. Six separate delays and several different concepts that were forced to walk the plank might’ve made you understandably apprehensive about Ubisoft’s long-brewing pirate game, but I’ve already found a yo-ho-whole lot to be excited about after spending nearly 30 hours with its surprisingly unconstrained open beta this past weekend. The 17th-century Indian Ocean works well as avast open world to be explored and plundered, the RPG mechanics are (briny) deep with opportunities for buildcrafting alongside your fellow scurvy dogs, and the naval combat you’ll spend bucca-nearly all your time on the high seas engaging with is tactical and consistently entertaining. Aside from the expected instability one usually encounters with a beta for an online game, the only red flags so far are the lackluster story and a list of endgame activities that feel like they could become repetitive in short oar-der. I won’t be able to complete my voyage until the full version sets sail later this week, but I’m already excited to sea more.
In Skull and Bones, although the Open Beta only lasted a few days, it was just enough time for some players to achieve some pretty awesome feats. Like EagleEGamer, who became a millionaire.
It’s been another cold week, and one that’s proven perfectly suited to wrapping up and playing video games. I’ve been working my way through Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, and we’ll have the review for that one on Monday. Other than that, there’s been a chunk of Suicide Squad, a heap of Naruto X Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, a spot of Granblue Fantasy Relink, a smidgen of Dave the Diver and a soupçon of Street Fighter 6 as well.
Continuing their great prank of pretending they plan to release Skull And Bones, Ubisoft today launched an open beta for their multiplayer open-world pirate boat game. The free beta will run until Sunday night, after which Ubisoft will presumably delay the game for another seventeen years while once again redesigning the whole thing. When you buy your great grandniece Skull And Bones for her 17th birthday, you'll be able to tell her you were there for the mythical open beta of '24.
During the Q&A session of a recent earnings call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot defended the decision to price upcoming pirate-themed multiplayer title Skull and Bones at $70 despite the game having live-service trappings.
After beginning development in 2013 and numerous delays later, Ubisoft Singapore’s seafaring pirate action RPG, Skull & Bones, will finally set sail next week. In the meantime, you can watch the launch trailer and even jump in early with the game’s open beta, which kicks off today.
Ubisoft's live-service pirate ship game Skull and Bones is a «quadruple-A» project, company boss Yves Guillemot has said.
Thar be no room for landlubbers here. Get ready to start a golden age pirate’s journey taking you from shipwrecked nobody to kingpin when Skull and Bones launches February 16 on PlayStation 5, with an Open Beta running from February 8-11*. The development team at Ubisoft Singapore has been hard at work ensuring that the Skull and Bones experience is as immersive as possible on PS5, thanks to features like 3D audio, adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and more.