Ubisoft has announced another delay in its cheeky action adventure game Skull and Bones – but that’s not all bad news.
The Skull and Bones release date was pushed back to March 9, 2023, but Ubisoft announced an open beta to smooth things out. Last month, some PC gamers (including myself) took part in testing with the very strict NDA, but the open beta will open the door for everyone, and possibly cross-platform.
We were expecting Skull and Bones to be released on November 8, so this is quite a delay. That said, the holiday season is a busy time for game releases, and competition is fierce. But with God of War Ragnarok, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet at the same time, perhaps the date shift is best.
It will be beta
Skull and Bones was first announced in 2017, and should be released alongside a similarly nautical-themed Sea of Thieves the following year (which had its own delay). It was supposed to be released on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, but now it will only be available on PC and current generation consoles.
Ubisoft says game development is complete and the extra time “will be used to further refine and balance”, using feedback from technical testing and the Insider program. Both of these things have happened in the past few weeks.
We’re now looking at a total of five years of delay, but unlike the MIA Beyond Good and Evil 2, at least we know the game is getting closer to the release date, even if the path is uncertain. I cannot give away my experience with the game test, but the Skull and Bones open beta is a smart choice.
The open beta could also keep Skull and Bones interested in the five-month waiting period. During this time, enough blockbusters arrive for Ubisoft’s pirate game to be easily pushed to the back of our collective consciousness. If the game is as good as Ubisoft thinks, the open beta will do a great job of connecting people and drumming on some pre-orders.
Ubisoft has yet to reveal the details of the Skull and Bones Open Beta, so we’ll keep an eye on the horizon and let you know as soon as it’s announced.