After plenty of rumblings indicating that Ubisoft was working on some sort of new pirate-themed game IP, the publisher took to the stage at their E3 keynote today to confirm that the project is real. Announced as ‘Skull & Bones‘, Ubisoft’s pirate game is loosely inspired by the ship combat and plundering gameplay of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, though rather than be a spin-off of the Assassin’s Creed games, it appears that Skull & Bones is its own independent IP.
Along with a pre-rendered CG trailer unveiling the game, Ubisoft also showed off some gameplay, which demonstrates how the game is adapted from the naval combat of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Taking place in 1721, players command a seafaring pirate vessel as they shape the world and influence the community, in what appears to be the latest example of the ‘shared world’ fad among triple-A games. A last-minute tease also hinted that a Kraken could serve as one of the threats in the game. Players can choose to sail alone, though they can also enlist friends, with a 5v5 skirmish being demonstrated with several players.
Skull & Bones is scheduled for release at some point in Fall 2018, and will come to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Keep sailing to Eggplante for all major news and updates on Skull & Bones.