Thanks to some internet sleuthing, it seems the release date for Ubisoft’s upcoming pirate game, Skull And Bones, has leaked online. According to data found on the Xbox store, the game is set to release this November, which lines up with information Kotaku has heard about the game’s rocky development.
As first spotted by Eurogamer, Twitter user Aggiornamenti Lumia looked into the Xbox digital store listing for Skull And Bones yesterday and found a release date for November 8. While this date has yet to be officially confirmed by Ubisoft, the store leak appears credible as the Twitter user has shared accurate dates gleaned from retailers before and the November launch date falls in line with what Kotaku has heard about the online game’s development trajectory.
One source familiar with the game’s troubled development explained to Kotaku that Skull And Bones’ release date has continued to shift and slip internally. We were told that a planned closed beta test set for June was canceled over quality concerns regarding the latest build of the online pirate game.
We were also told that Skull and Bones previously aimed to release earlier this year, with the last internal date being sometime in September. But now the release date has slipped once again to, apparently, November.
Kotaku has reached out to Ubisoft about this alleged release date.
Also found by Aggiornamenti Lumia was a large list of in-game DLC and bonus content, which is to be expected with any large AAA video game release these days.
First announced in 2017 with a 2018 release date, Skull And Bones was delayed last May until 2022, the game’s fourth publicly announced delay.
As we reported last year, Skull and Bones’ development has been a mess, with a lack of clear direction, ballooning costs, and tons of attrition. Led by Ubisoft Singapore, the project began as an expansion for 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag before it evolved into half a dozen other types of games in the near-decade since.
Something else to note is that, by now, we normally would have seen a big Ubisoft showcase event. However, it seems like many of the publisher’s projects aren’t quite ready for primetime, and the company has instead opted for smaller, dedicated showcases, such as today’s event focused entirely on the new Mario + Rabbids game, Sparks of Hope.
Additional reporting by Ethan Gach.