‘Skull & Bones’ release date: Ubisoft confirms fourth delay; pirate-themed game won’t launch before April 2022

A game getting delayed once or twice has been happening more often in the last few years. However, the case of “Skull & Bones” is quite different, especially now that the pirate-themed game’s release window was changed again.

‘Skull & Bones’ gets delayed for the fourth time

Despite being a new IP, “Skull & Bones” has quickly garnered the interest of gaming fans when it was announced in 2017 due to some of its elements being similar to the widely popular “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.” Both games feature heavy themes of naval combat and piracy.

However, Ubisoft might be risking losing that enthusiasm among fans now that “Skull & Bones” is confirmed to have been delayed for the fourth time. The pirate-themed action-adventure is no longer included in Ubisoft’s AAA releases for its current financial year, which ends in March 2022. This means fans cannot expect the game to arrive anytime before April next year.

On the bright side, Ubisoft appears to be continuously optimistic about the development of “Skull & Bones.” Chief financial officer Frédérick Duguet said during Ubisoft’s latest earnings call this week (via VGC), “Production led by [Ubisoft] Singapore has been advancing well over the past 12 months and the promise is better than ever.”

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot also confirmed that they have added more associate studios to help Ubisoft Singapore work on “Skull & Bones.” It is also worth noting that the game’s development has seen some significant changes in terms of the direction the studio wants to take for the game. Last September, creative director Elisabeth Pellen said the game’s status at the time has “evolved from its original idea.”

‘Skull & Bones’ gameplay: What to expect

“Skull & Bones” is expected to feature tactical action elements in an open world environment and to be played in the third-person perspective. It will feature a single-player campaign with a plot set in the Golden Age of Piracy set in the Indian Ocean.

Considering the game was announced back in 2017, “Skull & Bones” is currently confirmed to launch on PC and last-gen consoles PS4 and Xbox One. With the fourth delay announced, Ubisoft has yet to confirm if a full-fledged version for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S is also in the works.