For the fourth time in as many years, Ubisoft's open-world pirate game, Skull and Bones, is going to be delayed. Its release date has been pushed back to 2022.
If Skull and Bones does indeed release in 2022, the game will have been in development for at least half a decade if not more. This certainly does not bode well for a game intended to piggyback on the popularity of 2013's Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. Skull and Bones Delayed Yet Again Ubisoft now faces the challenge of making sure that Skull and Bones is worth the delays.
To say that Skull and Bones' development cycle has been rough is only fitting. The game was initially intended to release in 2018. Unfortunately, as we now know courtesy of Ubisoft's full-year earnings report for 2020, Skull and Bones will be delayed to 2022.
In the same earnings call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that multiple studios are helping Ubisoft Singapore with Skull and Bones. Both Guillemot and Ubisoft CFO Frederick Duguet seemed optimistic about releasing Skull and Bones in 2022. Duguet described the game's premise to be "better than ever". He also claimed that the "additional time will allow the team to fully deliver on its vision."
Skull and Bones' Creative Director, Elisabeth Pellen, confirmed in September 2020 that the numerous delays were the result of the studio's "new vision" for the pirate simulator. Although you can't exactly help but express doubt as to whether this is truly the case. This is especially after Hugues Ricour, the former Managing Director at Ubisoft Singapore, was removed following issues with workplace misconduct and sexual harassment.