As per an official news post onUbisoft’s website,Skull and Boneshas been delayed yet again, though at least this time they provide a firm future release date. The game will now launch June 26, 2025. The news post is short and doesn’t provide much tangible information outside what we’ve come to expect from delay announcements. “Our team is hard at work polishing and balancing the experience,” says Ubisoft. “To give you the best possible experience we’ve decided to take a little more time to make sure we can deliver exactly that.”
RELATED:Skull and Bones New Showcase Reveals More Ship Customization Options
Skull and Bones was originally revealed in 2017 and was set to be a multiplayer-focused game based around the highly popular naval combat that originated in theAssassin’s Creedseries. The game was delayed several times without ever providing a firm date. It laid low for a couple of years, not making appearances in any press conferences, and many were concerned that it had been internally canceled without announcement. In 2020, Ubisoftconfirmedthat development for Skull and Bones was still underway and that it had been revamped with a “new vision.” Finally, on July 7 of this year, a fullre-reveal showcasetook place that had the game slated to release on November 8.
Ubisoft stated simply that they needed more time, but it’s also possible that other factors could have contributed to this delay. November 2022 is currently a staggeringly busy month, withSonic Frontiersreleasing on the 8th andGod of War Ragnarokon the 9th. Furthermore,Pokemon Scarlet and Violetdrop on the 15th followed byCall of Duty’s Warzone sequelon the 16th. A motivating factor to go through with the delay could have been to distance themselves from a timeframe where gamers' attention would be so divided.
Another possibility is that the reveal received a decent amount of criticism, partly because of the lack of grounded combat with swords or guns. The July showcase only confirmed ship combat; even roping in an enemy’s ship to board it just resulted in a short cutscene. However, it’s unlikely that a four-month period will be enough to add a whole new gameplay system like grounded combat.
