Skull and Bones finally appears like it might set sail in the coming months, as the pirating game received an official rating by Australia.
This week, Ubisoft’s long-awaited Skull and Bones received a rating, hinting the pirating game’s release might finally be around the corner.
As reported by GamesRadar+, the Australian Classification Board rated Skull and Bones as Mature, citing the themes of violence, language, drug use and sexual content of “moderate impact,” and specified that there is no nudity. An official consumer advice blurb mentioned similar details as well. “Mature themes, violence, drug use, coarse language and sexual references, online interactivity and in-game purchases,” it reads. With the game now at the rating stage, it suggests an official launch date might finally be imminent.
Perhaps Ubisoft’s most anticipated non-franchise upcoming title, Skull and Bones takes the popular pirating mechanics of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and fleshes it out into a unique sea adventure. There’s little known about the title at this point aside from its almost infamous delays. First announced in 2017, Skull and Bones has faced developmental hell since. Though Ubisoft gave it a 2018 release window at the time of its announcement, it met a total of five delays before landing on a release window sometime before March 2023. Beyond everyday developmental woes, the game saw further difficulty when Skull and Bones‘ director was fired for sexual misconduct.
A recent leak of the first several minutes of Skull and Bones gameplay provided a much better picture of what to expect. The game appears to take place in the Indian Ocean and is set during the Golden Age of Piracy. Players begin as a low-level rogue who aims to become the most infamous pirate on the seas. Starting with a small trading vessel, players progress through the game by gaining infamy and crafting larger, stronger ships. Different ships will reportedly have unique playstyles.
Players gain infamy through exploration, plundering, treasure hunts and participating in periodic game events. Other details about the gameplay remain unconfirmed, including rumors which suggest little sword fighting or land exploration will be included, making the title almost exclusively sailing-based. However, it appears the game will be multiplayer first after an initial plan to focus on single-player gameplay.
Prior to the leak, no one expected to hear anything about the game until the rumored Ubisoft showcase, which will reportedly reveal as many as twenty upcoming titles from the developer. Now, Ubisoft announced its plans to release Skull and Bones before the end of the current fiscal year, placing the launch sometime prior to March 31, 2023.
Source: GamesRadar+
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