Skull and Bones has grown in scope, won't be featured in Ubisoft Forward

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

What you need to know

  • Skull and Bones was first announced at Ubisoft's E3 2017 showcase.
  • Since then, the game has been delayed multiple times.
  • Today, Ubisoft shared that the game has grown in scope and won't be featured in today's Ubisoft Forward event.

Ubisoft's upcoming pirate ship game Skull and Bones hasn't been seen in some time and today, the company issued an update on the game's development. Elisabeth Pellen, Creative Director on Skull and Bones, joined the team about two years ago. She writes that "We dreamt something bigger for Skull & Bones, and these ambitions naturally came with bigger challenges."

Pellen further explains that Skull and Bones scope has grown and that the game needed delays as a result. Pellen says that Skull and Bones will be shown off in a "comeback" sometime in 2021. As a result, it won't be featured in today's Ubisoft Forward showcase. Skull and Bones is being developed primarily by Ubisoft Singapore, with support from the Berlin, Chengdu, Kiev, Paris and Philippines studios.

Right now, Skull and Bones does not have a release window beyond the confirmation it won't be released before March 2021. Ubisoft has experienced a wave of abuse and harassment allegations towards several executives and senior developers, including the former director of Skull and Bones. The editorial vice president of Ubisoft has been fired following investigations and several others have departed.

Skull and Bones is currently confirmed to be released on Xbox One, PC and PS4. Given the many delays, it will presumably feature support for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PS5.

Samuel Tolbert

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on PlayStation on Android Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert