To no one’s surprise, Ubisoft has announced that Skull and Bones is being pushed back once again — this time from its March 9 release date. Although Skull and Bones is getting another delay, it’s not as bad as the three unannounced projects that were reportedly axed by the Ubisoft team as they attempt to refocus on more prominent brands following the disappointing sales of specific titles, namely Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope and Just Dance 2023. These recent developments are making 2023 a very light year for fans of the sprawling open-world games Ubisoft regularly releases.
The announcement was made following a formal Ubisoft press release breaking down the company’s recent conference call regarding the 2022-23 financial targets. The Skulls and Bones project is now projected to launch sometime in 2023-24, and there will be an upcoming beta phase before the official release. The 2023-24 release date is meant to get the game out around the start of the financial year, which begins in April 2023.
Related: Ubisoft moving away from $60 price tag for triple-A titles, Skull and Bones will be $70 at launch
The reason for uprooting the Skull and Bones release date — and removing three unannounced projects — is that projects from the previous investment cycle are either behind schedule or did come out, but underperformed on the market. The less-than-ideal sales numbers for Ubisoft have forced them to retreat and refine their focus to their more extensive franchises, namely Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and the hoard of Tom Clancy games.
Moving forward, Ubisoft plans to do some internal restructuring with its projects and teams, which can only mean we’re likely to see far less ambitious and creative risks in future released projects.
Although it is disappointing to hear that three unannounced games were cut from the Ubisoft development cycle, pushing Skull and Bones further back may be the final thing that breaks the fans eager to get their hands on it, even if there is an upcoming beta. Skull and Bones has been a development nightmare for nearly a decade, which was first set to release in early 2018 but has continued to receive delays. This will be the seventh delay following the original release date, nearly five years ago.
Following this press release, we’ll keep a weather eye for any news Ubisoft has about a beta period for Skull and Bones. We imagine this will be a good way for the developers to gauge player interest and to see what beginning steps they can take to address any problems and issues the game might have when it does eventually launch.
