Ship combat simulator 'Skull & Bones' delayed, no new release date provided

Skull and Bones E3 2017
Skull and Bones E3 2017 (Image credit: Ubisoft)

What you need to know

  • Skull & Bones is a pirate adventure from Ubisoft which focuses on ship-to-ship combat.
  • The game does not allow you to freely explore islands like Sea of Thieves.
  • Skull & Bones was expected to launch in 2019, but has been delayed further.
  • No new release date has been provided.

Last year, Ubisoft surprised gamers by showcasing a title like Sea of Thieves called "Skull & Bones." As the name suggests, Skull & Bones is all about becoming a pirate and destroying other vessels on the high seas. Unfortunately, from what we saw at E3 2018, the game looked like it just focused on ship-to-ship combat, and didn't allow you to freely explore islands. This didn't sit well with many, but the gorgeous visuals and solid combat intrigued a lot of gamers.

It looks like Ubisoft knows Skull & Bones needs a lot of work because the company just announced that it has been delayed. No new release date was provided, but producer Karl von der Luhe issued a statement about the status of the project. It hasn't been cancelled, the team just needs more time to polish up the experience. Gematsu was able to compile the statement from a video message.

You may have heard that the Skull & Bones release date has been pushed back and we will not be at E3 2019. Rest assured that we are working as hard as ever to make sure that the game is going to be as great as possible, and quality remains our number one focus. Ubisoft remains fully devoted to this exciting journey to bring you this brand new game, and we're confident Skull & Bones is going to be amazing. Our community remains super important to us, and we're really grateful for the support and passion you've given us. And we will back as soon as we can with exciting new updates.

If Skull & Bones is to succeed, it needs to be an open-world pirate adventure like Sea of Thieves. Ship-to-ship combat is a novel concept, but it may get repetitious after a while. Hopefully the team is aware of this and are working towards expanding the gameplay mechanics.

Are you interested in Skull & Bones? Let us know. The game is expected to launch on Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4. It's unclear if it'll be available on Google Stadia down the line.

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Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.