Ubisoft’s long-awaited pirate game has been released, but because it’s based on a live service model, the release is just the beginning for the French publisher.

So Skull & Bones is finally out, and while the pirate experience isn’t too bad, the game is far from perfect. The gameplay can get pretty boring, the story isn’t that interesting, and Ubisoft didn’t even bother to take some of the elements from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (which was released over ten years ago…) that players liked. So you can’t just board another ship with your crew to fight…

Ubisoft says it’s planning four seasons of content, but it’s in vain. While the content that comes in these seasons can really make Skull & Bones what it should be, the initial state of the game is not the best. The customization options are fun, but beyond that there’s a lot of monotony for players with seemingly repetitive missions. Even melee combat is left out of the game. New events, battles, and rewards are introduced in the first season and continue through the seasons. Some mysterious, bigger features are coming in the future, but we don’t know anything about them yet.

Updates should not only build on Skull & Bones’ current, mostly decent systems, but also take into account what players want. You should be able to transfer crew from your deck to the enemy ship (and vice versa), there should be melee combat, and the expansion of pirate activities should not be forgotten. There are also plans for mythological monsters, so Ubisoft may be able to strengthen the longevity of the game. And this is essential because of the live service model.

But it may be too late. Skull & Bones has already been written off by some players, so luring them back will be no easy task. If there isn’t a large enough audience, there won’t be much chance of further expansion after the first year of content.

Source: GameRant