Skull & Bones was first announced at Ubisoft's E3 2017 panel as a pirate adventure game focused on naval combat with tactical choices and an open world to explore. It would be a massive shared world that players could play solo or with friends, and also a multiplayer mode for PvP 5 vs 5 team deathmatches. More information followed a couple of days after, and at the time Ubisoft was aiming for a 2018 release. According to our Reviews Editor in his hands-on preview, the game had the potential to be a GOTY of 2018.
However, at E3 2018, Ubisoft pushed the release to 2019. Today they have officially announced on Twitter an indefinite delay to after 2019-20, which means the game may end up being a next-gen release. The developers want to focus on quality rather than a rushed release, which is always a wise decision.
https://twitter.com/skullnbonesgame/status/1128687733285646336
A confirmation is also seen in the Ubisoft earnings figures report for 2018-19: "The release of Skull & Bones has been postponed to after 2019-20." Contrary to expectations, the delay has nothing to do with lower earnings, as they also reported "solid performance" in Q3 2018 results. Instead, Ubisoft is doubling down on "strong growth for new releases, with four AAA titles, including Ghost Recon Breakpoint and three other titles that will be revealed later and released in the fourth fiscal quarter." The company is also investing in new digital distribution technology, aiming to take on grey market resellers such as G2A.
So if you were expecting to see more of Skull & Bones at E3 2019, you'd better pull down your black flag, and invest your time and energy on another one of the hundreds of franchises that will be present at the conference this year. It's likely we won't hear much about Skull & Bones until 2021.
Were you hoping to see more of Skull & Bones at E3 this year? Do you think the game will be improved by the delay? Let us know in the comments below!
