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Skull and Bones is under another slammer as Ubisoft's coop pirate title has been delayed for a sixth time. The Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Watch Dogs publisher has reportedly shelved three unannounced titles, following the underperformance of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hopes and Just Dance 2023.
The information was announced today during an investor call, where the executives also mentioned a "restructuring" focus on the biggest brands and live services.
Ubisoft has also readjusted financial expectations from the last quarter of the fiscal year 2022-2023, as it has depreciated around €500m ($538m) of capitalized R&D on future games, including both premium and Free-to-Play titles, and the newly canceled projects.
Skull and Bones is now looking at a 2023-2024 release with an early beta
Initially revealed in E3 2017, Skull and Bones has had a troubled development period. With work starting as early as 2013 following the release of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, the Ubisoft Singapore-led project has been reimagined from the ground up, looking significantly different from its original reveal.
Building upon pirate elements from Black Flag, sailing on the high seas, and looting other ships, Skull and Bones promised a cooperative multiplayer adventure. However, the development period has been anything but smooth sailing.
Skull and Bones was re-revealed last year, featuring a redesign. However, fans weren't too pleased with it. The game was compared to Xbox's massively successful Sea of Thieves, with many missing features holding it back from being a compelling co-op pirate adventure.
Of course, the game hasn't been released yet, and this perception is based on the gameplay deep-dive developers have provided.
Skull and Bones was most recently slated for a March 9, 2023, release date. However, after the investor call, Ubisoft delayed the title to the next fiscal year, 2023-2024, with the beta dropping before its release.
While the publisher is yet to determine a new release date, with more than a decade in development, Skull and Bones will have an uphill battle to be profitable. But with long-term players like other MMO titles, it is undoubtedly attainable.
Ubisoft continues to cancel more unannounced titles
Aside from Assassin's Creed Valhalla's massive commercial success, Ubisoft's titles have been a hit or miss over the past few years. The once pioneering publisher of single-player titles shifted its focus to live-service games. They are unnaturally grindy and stacked with microtransactions. Even the most avid defenders of IPs find it hard to justify those actions.
Meanwhile, many upcoming titles like Beyond Good and Evil 2, Prince of Persia, Sands of Time Remake, and Splinter Cell have been stuck in development hell for years. Despite the delay, fans of those games eagerly anticipated the release.
Ubisoft has canceled seven notable titles, including Ghost Recon Frontline and Splinter Cell VR. The list includes two announced titles for established franchises.
Ubisoft's focus on live-service games means several other single-player titles could be on the chopping block. Sequels to games like Watch Dogs, Far Cry, Ghost Recon, Crew, and Immortals now face a grim future.
What to expect from Ubisoft in 2023?
With Skull and Bones getting delayed, Ubisoft's upcoming roster may seem bleak, but the publisher has a few AAA heavy hitters lined up for the year. While more games are likely to be announced, so far, two major titles have a 2023 release window set.
Assassin's Creed Mirage promises to take the series back to its roots, focusing on the three core pillars of stealth, assassination, and parkour. While we are yet to see any gameplay, the leaks and official information regarding the title have been hopeful.
Avatar Frontiers of Pandora dropped a brief reveal trailer, but details regarding the title are scant. However, considering the recent success of The Way of the Water, a latent fanbase could be appealing to the developers, which could lead to a well-designed game.
Furthermore, the company is reportedly teeing up to launch a Ubisoft+ subscription service on consoles with possibly a redesign with different tiers. Overall, Ubisoft's future seems uncertain, and it'll be interesting to see how the story develops.
