Skull and Bones' Third Creative Director Has Left, Ubisoft Cites Normal Development

07.09.2023 - 22:15 / mmorpg.com / Ubisoft Singapore / Ubisoft

Elisabeth Pellen, who most recently worked as Skull and Bones’ creative director, has left Ubisoft Singapore and headed to work at Ubisoft’s Paris HQ. Pellen was the game’s third creative director to date, responsible for the game's current overall state.

In a statement to Kotaku, Ubisoft acknowledged Pellen’s departure, and noted that at a late stage of development, it is common for creative directors to move around to another title. “Five years ago, Elisabeth Pellen went to Ubisoft Singapore with a mission to reboot the creative direction of Skull and Bones,” and reboot the game she did, bring the person who was key to broadening the scope of Skull and Bones to incorporate more open exploration and strategic survival piracy elements.

Skull and Bones has infamously been delayed several times over, qith an initial release date of 2018 before it was rebooted. Ubisoft Singapore recently held a closed beta test at the end of August, which was not under NDA. This meant that people were able to stream their gameplay experiences and show the world how things were coming along on the upcoming pirate title. Responses were fairly mixed, but it's still a long way from not seeing anything new  or having little idea what to expect.

The studio is also potentially dealing with another issue on its hands, however, since the Creative Media and Publishing Union in Singapore is looking to start a unionization effort. A vote is expected sometime this week among any eligible team members in the studio to see if they want to potentially unionize.

There's no word as to whether any of the developers might join the efforts, but the Kotaku report cites the studio’s HR director, Desiree Tan, as saying “This caught many of us by surprise “ to employees. 

Skull and Bones  is clearly in late development and It remains to be seen if any of the labor dispute touches the eventual release. It’s no surprise that Ubisoft hasn’t announced another concrete release window. After delays and other bumps in the road, being absolutely sure you’re ready is a good idea.