How long has Skull and Bones been in development?

Believe it or not, Skull and Bones, Ubisoft's highly anticipated open-world pirate simulator/ MMO, is finally getting close to its release. After numerous delays, a tumultuous development cycle, and an underwhelming gameplay showcase, the game will be playable for a select few players and press via the upcoming closed beta.

The open-world MMO was initially announced in 2017, with the game's development dating back to 2013, shortly after the release of one of Ubisoft's most cherished open-world titles, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Following that, the MMO was delayed multiple times due to its troubled development and shifting management.

What started as a DLC for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag by a small studio eventually spun into its own thing, with a massive budget of over $120 million. However, despite being backed by Ubisoft's funding, Skull and Bones became one of the most troubled titles under the French publisher's umbrella.

With the game resurfacing with the closed beta again, one has to wonder how long it has been in development.

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How long was Skull and Bones' development cycle?

Skull and Bones was initially envisioned as an expansion for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, which would take the naval combat and exploration bits of that game to create an entirely new experience. The project was internally codenamed "Black Flag Infinity," with a very small team at Ubisoft Singapore actively working on the title.

However, following the overwhelmingly positive reception of players on Black Flag's naval segments, Ubisoft doubled down on the idea of making an entirely new title around that system, but one that's separate from the Assassin's Creed IP. Active development on Skull and Bones started towards the tail end of 2013.

The game's internal development lasted four years before Ubisoft officially announced the title at E3 2017 with a cinematic trailer. During this time, Ubisoft Singapore detailed their plans to release the game for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2018. However, shortly after doing so, the studio went completely silent for multiple years.

The game later resurfaced again in 2020 and then finally in 2022, where they showcased in-engine gameplay. However, just a few months after revealing the game's planned release date of November 8, 2022, for the current generation of consoles and PCs, Skull and Bones was again delayed to a potential 2023 release window.

Following this, the game was delayed one last time, with Ubisoft confirming a release for the fiscal year 2023-2024. However, the publisher did not provide any concrete release date. With the MMO finally getting a closed beta and a new release date of February 16, 2024, the game has officially been in development for over a decade.