One of the titles that was conspicuously missing at Ubisoft Forward E3 2021 was Skull & Bones. While it hasn’t officially been canceled, almost three years have passed since its initial scheduled release date, leading many to believe it’s dead in the water. Ubisoft has stated that a “new vision” for the game is the cause of the multiple delays. Still, the title missing yet another major event doesn’t bode well for its future.
Where was Skull & Bones at E3 2021?
Ubisoft’s conference was rather disappointing and predictable. Aside from established IPs and the new Avatar game, pickings were fairly slim. Getting to see progress on Skull & Bones would have gone a long way toward spicing up the show.As it stands, Ubisoft’s offerings for the year are rather thin, and it seems to be overly relying on established titles instead of pushing its catalog forward.
Skull & Bones was announced way back at E3 2017, and players were impressed the gameplay that was shown in a trailer the following year. It appeared to expand the lauded naval combat of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and center a whole game around it. It looked pretty far along, and the original release date of Q3/Q4 2018 seemed realistic. However, it was pushed back into 2019, then 2020, then the April 2021-March 2022 fiscal year, and finally to its current release window of April 2022-March 2023.
It’s unknown what the central issue is with Skull & Bones is other than the studio wanting to develop it around a “new vision.” Hopefully, we’ll see Ubisoft’s work come to fruition at some point. Still, with the apparent troubles the title is facing, cancellation is a possibility.
