TITLE
The Turbulent Story of Skull and Bones
AUTHOR
Matt Purslow
PUBLICATION
IGN
YEAR
2024
ARTICLE TYPE
Article
Documentary
EMBED
FROM THE ARTICLE
For years, many assumed Skull and Bones was a ghost ship; the Ubisoft pirate game that would never make it to harbour. Having suffered six public delays, it is one of the most frequently postponed games of all time. The near total silence that surrounded it year after year convinced people that it was either permanently anchored at the port of development hell, or that it had already sunk to the bottom of the ocean. But within the halls of Ubisoft Singapore, hundreds of developers were navigating a storm of design problems in hunt of their white whale.Now, almost seven years since it was first revealed, Skull and Bones is ready to set sail. But this final version is very different to the game we first saw in 2017. Across its development journey the naval battler has changed forms multiple times, with its final design emerging from a major reboot that prolonged development and left several prototypes shipwrecked. This is the inside story of Skull and Bones’ many delays, and the challenges that caused them.
COMPANIES MENTIONED
Ubisoft
GAMES MENTIONED
Skull and Bones
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Ryan Barnard
Neven Dravinski
Kris Kirkpatrick
Darryl Long
Juen Yeow Mak
Elisabeth Pellen
ALTERNATE LINK
Video Essay @ YouTube