Surprise, surprise, there’s a shiny new Skull and Bones release date, and this one’s coming up a lot sooner than expected. After years of virtual silence, we were afraid Ubisoft had let its multiplayer swashbuckler sail off into the sunset without so much as a cannon blast or a clink of rum bottles to mark its untimely demise. Mercifully, that’s not the case.
The new Skull and Bones release date was announced during a brand-new gameplay reveal, so we’ve also got details on what the gameplay, ship customisation, post-launch support, and social systems will be like for the highly anticipated pirate game.
We’ve plumbed the murky depths of Davy Jones’s locker to bring you the latest Skull and Bones release date, gameplay news, and everything else you need to know about this upcoming nautical adventure. We have the latest details on how multiplayer works, as well as the ships and weapons you will wield as you channel your inner mangy cur.
Skulls and Bones release date
The official Skull and Bones release date is November 8, 2022 – that’s just around the corner when you consider all of the delays.
There have been multiple delays since the game was revealed just over five years ago, so we’ve got our fingers crossed that this is the final launch date.
Gameplay
Our latest look at Skull and Bones confirms that the core of Ubisoft’s sail ’em up is largely unchanged. It’s still a multiplayer, open-world game with naval battles at its core. The combat still resembles Black Flag’s naval battles, albeit with some more exotic weapons and tools. Almost all of the action takes place from the captain’s perspective, so while you can leave the helm to explore hideouts and outposts, whenever you’re sailing around you’re effectively playing as the ship – you can’t get up and explore the rest of the ship, nor can you take part in island raids.
There’s plenty of scope for ship customisation, too. You can pick between a variety of ship types which each boast unique strengths and weaknesses. Some will offer greater agility, but you won’t be able to equip as many weapons or take very much damage, while others will let you lumber around the Indian Ocean carrying tons of guns and plunder, but you might make yourself a bit of a sitting duck for more balanced vessels. Beyond ship types and weaponry, you can also tune your ship’s armour as well as plenty of cosmetic features.
The main aim of the game is to become the most infamous pirate on the Indian Ocean, working your way up from having a tiny one-person vessel to a fleet of warships. To do that you’ll need to complete contracts, hunt treasure, and claim bounties to boost your infamy level. Curiously, there’s also a crafting component to Skull and Bones, and it appears that you’ll need to regularly head out in search of rare materials, animal skins, and other commodities that you can either trade or use to upgrade your vessel.
Trailer
This latest unveiling of Ubisoft’s buccaneering adventure is accompanied by a new cinematic trailer that shows a lower class character working their way up through the pirate ranks, raiding forts, plundering ships, and partying with a growing crew.
Multiplayer
While you can play any of the activities in solo, Skull and Bones is a multiplayer game first and foremost so they can all be played with other players, and the open-world itself is full of other player-controlled pirates.
That doesn’t mean you’re always at risk of being sunk – you can’t just start firing on other pirates willy-nilly, instead there are optional PvP servers for those that prefer a little more risk. Of course, you can also invite friends and people you meet to join your party and set sail side by side.
Post-launch
As a live multiplayer game, you can expect plenty of post-launch content, but Ubisoft has promised to support the game for years to come. The initial run of post-launch content will also be free for all players and will include in-game world events – bigger, deadlier challenges for your fleet – new ships, weapons, furniture, and much more.
