Many details leaked about Ubisoft Singapore’s long-in-the-tooth development: it makes us wonder how it even happened.

The game doesn’t have a clear direction; its development required more than 120 million dollars… we have heard such details regarding Skull & Bones, and we also wrote about the situation within the team behind it (Ubisoft Singapore). Tom Henderson, who has been a reliable leaker in recent times, provides a lengthy Twitter thread about the game, but a few of the added images are no longer available due to Ubisoft’s DMCA claims…

Here’s the thread: “In Skull & Bones, there are five tiers of ships (small, medium, large etc.) and are categorized into three different categories. Cargo, Combat, and Exploration. Unlocking other ships are tied to blueprints, which you can buy at various settlements. Buying a blueprint isn’t the only hurdle, though, as you’ll need the right amount of resources such as wood, metal and fibre to build your ship. A bigger ship doesn’t mean a better ship either, as smaller vessels are more agile and can go where bigger ships can’t. An example given was that a smaller ship might outrun a bigger ship by staying close to the shore or going up a river because the bigger ships would get beached on the bottom of shallow waters.

Every ship has a pre-determined amount of cannons, but other weaponry can be added/upgraded to put on your ship. Cannons, Ballistas, Flame Throwers, Mortars, and more can be attached to your ship in addition to different ammo types (chain-linked cannonballs, for example). You can upgrade your ship at any time, granted you have the money to do so. Adding extra armour, smelteries, storage boxes to carry more inventory etc., is all possible. There’s a lot of customization options also, including changing your sail, wheel, shanties etc.

The game is open world and seems to be set in the Indian Ocean, with the fictional pirate haven being based on Madagascar. The “Coast of Azania” (Mozambique) is a location on the map. You start the game as a nobody, building a raft and then eventually a tiny fishing boat to explore the open sea. You collect quests, increase your pirate rep and collect resources to get your first pirate ship. Player progression is currently tracked by the amount of money you earn via doing jobs, raiding other ships, plundering settlements, raiding fortresses, and doing cargo runs. The more money you make as a pirate, the more powerful you become. Ship perspective is pretty similar to 2018 gameplay, just with minor changes. While on land, it’s in third-person, and you can only walk on foot in safe havens and hideouts. There is no combat, parkour, or anything special to walking as the captain other than to meet NPCs.

Overall, the game isn’t “near completion” but is reported to be in a decent spot with a lot of good combat. The middle of the map is a big open sea, and it can take some “good AFK time” to sail across – I’ll try and get specifics as to how long that is,” Henderson wrote.

Keep in mind that nothing is official! Skull & Bones is planned to launch in Ubisoft’s 2023 fiscal year that runs from April 2022 to March 2023. The game is announced for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, but let’s be honest: the PS4/X1 duo will likely be binned in favour of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series.

Source: WCCFTech