Ubisoft delays ‘Skull & Bones’ again, cancels three unannounced games

Skull & Bones has been delayed yet again by Ubisoft, with the company also cancelling three unannounced games.

Last September, it was announced that the release of the much-anticipated game had been delayed once again until 2023.

It is far from the first time that Skull & Bones’ release has been pushed back. It was originally revealed at Ubisoft’s 2017 E3 press conference and it was reported last year that the lengthy development cycle and multiple delays were due to a string of directorial changes.

Now, in a January 2023 update, Ubisoft confirmed that the game would now likely be released in 2014, citing “major challenges as the industry continues to shift towards mega-brands and long-lasting titles”.

The company added that the delay will allow for “a much more polished and balanced experience and to build awareness,” promising that players will be “positively surprised by its evolution”.

Three unannounced games have also been cancelled by the developer, in addition to four other games which were canned in 2022.

Back in September 2020, Skull & Bones’ creative director Elisabeth Pellen addressed the delay of the game in a letter, where she also briefly outlined what fans can expect from the team in the future and reiterated her team’s dedication to launching the title.

“Critical questions needed to be addressed over the past several months such as: how do we modernize the classic pirate fantasy? How do we ensure a more immersive and visceral experience? How do we create cool and memorable moments in-game? For most of these questions to be answered, it was clear that we needed more development time.”

A statement shared by the company in September 2022 said: “Ahoy there, privateers. Our team is hard at work polishing and balancing the experience ahead of the worldwide launch. As a result, we’ve made the tough decision to move our release date to March 9, 2023.

“We’re very eager for you all to get your hands on Skull & Bones and dive in headfirst to the dangerous and exciting world of building your own pirate empire. To give you the best possible experience we’ve decided to take a little more time to make sure we can deliver exactly that.”