Skull & Bones: Release Date, Trailers, Gameplay, And More

A Skull & Bones release date is finally on the horizon, so it won't be too long until players are setting sail and battling fellow seafarers for their precious loot. Luckily, Ubisoft has been pretty generous with sharing news about Skull & Bones in various trailers, such as a look at its gameplay, design, and open-world environment. So, batten down the hatches and weigh anchor because here's everything we know so far about Skull & Bones, including its release date, trailers, gameplay, leaks, platforms, and an upcoming TV show. 

Skull & Bones Release Date

The official Skull & Bones release date has finally been announced to be November 8, 2022, arriving perhaps a bit earlier than fans were expecting. It was initially thought that we wouldn't see a Skull & Bones release date until at least early 2023, so it is to the delight of many budding pirates that the game is coming out before the turn of the year.

After hopes that Skull And Bones would be released in 2019, a clip featuring producer Karl Luhe on the Skull & Bones official Twitter page announced that the game has been delayed and that it wouldn't be making an appearance at E3 2019. However, fans were quick to show their support encouraging Ubisoft Singapore, the game's developer, to take its time. Then things went a little quiet for a while.

In September 2020, Ubisoft's Creative Director, Elisabeth Pellen, finally shared an update about Skull & Bones. In the post, Pellen stated that while the game wouldn't be present at the Ubisoft Forward event, Skull & Bones was "in full swing, with a new vision". In response to the postponed launch, Pellen said: "The answer is that we simply needed more time. We dreamt something bigger for Skull & Bones, and these ambitions naturally came with bigger challenges." However, with Ubisoft currently developing other ambitious titles, such as a highly anticipated Star Wars game alongside Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora, it's no wonder that it has taken the time to delay the release for Skull & Bones. 

Skull & Bones Trailers

There are a hefty amount of Skull & Bones trailers out there to watch. The very first one was the cinematic announcement trailer which premiered at E3 2017 and shiver me timbers, it's epic. Serving us some major Pirates Of The Caribbean vibes, the trailer featured various sailors battling it out across the wild waves in the hope to get some booty. However, just when it seems like the lucky pirate has come out on top, the terrifying kraken is shown lurking underneath the waters. 

Another action-packed cinematic trailer made its appearance during E3 2018. Once again, the trailer didn't reveal much about the Skull & Bones gameplay but it did go some way into describing the game's context and story. The trailer revealed how players will be sailing around the Indian Ocean in an idyllic cove full of swashbuckling buccaneers fighting for treasure after years of persecution.

Alongside the announcement of the release date in July 2022, Ubisoft release a handful of additional trailers to further excite fans who are looking forward to the game's release. They released a general gameplay overview trailer to update the initial ones from 2017 and 2018, and you can really see how the game has evolved over its development time. 

Furthermore, alongside this Ubisoft have also released a new cinematic trailer titled 'Long Live Piracy', where we can have a look at the storms, ships, and new worlds that are likely to define the pirate adventures that await you.

Skull & Bones Gameplay

Skull & Bones is very similar to Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag in terms of how the sailing works. As the trailers make perfectly clear, the main objective of the game is to sink ships and work your way up to become the most powerful pirate. The player can disguise their vessel as a ship from an enemy faction, allowing them to make a calculated and unexpected attack. However, if you're in a hurry to get somewhere rather than pursue combat, you can customise your ship to do so before hopping off onto your private island after a long day of treasure hunting.

Players will want to heed the warnings of the fortune teller though. The wise words of the fortune teller will give you an outlook on what route to go down depending on what she predicts about the weather and trade routes.  

In a new in-depth gameplay trailer centred around ship combat, customisation, and progression, we are granted a closer look at what might be the core elements of your Skull & Bones playtime. This preview really does show off how exciting the ship vs ship combat will be for those who loved Black Flag, presenting itself in the same thrilling manner, with improved visuals to make every cannonball hit feel more real.

Skull & Bones Leaks  

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Skull & Bones had its very own treasure looted thanks to a leak from Tom Henderson. Of course, it's worth taking all this information with a pinch of salt, but if you want to go into the game completely unaware look away now because...

*Spoiler Alert*

In the Twitter thread, Henderson claimed: "You start the game as a nobody, building a raft and then eventually a small fishing boat, where you can then explore the open sea. You collect quests, increase your pirate rep and collect resources to get your first pirate ship." Henderson went on to say: "Ship perspective is pretty similar to 2018 gameplay, just with small 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 go meet NPCs."

Skull & Bones TV Show

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The Skull & Bones game may not even be out yet, but that hasn't stopped Ubisoft from making future plans for the world of Skull & Bones, because an upcoming TV show based on the game is in the works. In an exclusive interview with Hollywood Reporter, Ubisoft's director of development for television, Danielle Kreinik, revealed that the game developer was teaming up with Atlas Entertainment to produce the show. 

Not much about the TV show has been revealed, but that's understandable given that the game hasn't even been released yet. However, what we do know is that it will be a "female-driven" series with Kreinik, Jason Altman, Andy Horwitz, Richard Suckle, and Amanda Segel set as executive producers. Segel is also slated to be a writer on the show. 

Skull & Bones Platforms

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The Skull & Bones platforms have officially been announced alongside the release date, as preorders are now live for everywhere that Skull & Bones is sailing its ships to. The platforms that you can buy Skull & Bones on are as follows:

• PlayStation 5
• Xbox Series X│S
• Stadia
• PC (via Epic Games Store or Ubisoft Connect)

It was originally thought that Skull & Bones would be available on the last generation of consoles, but unfortunately you will have to upgrade to either the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X│S if you want to join the life of a pirate.

Skull & Bones might only be right around the corner, but for now, "Alexa, play He's A Pirate", because us landlubbers are going to use this time to get our sea legs ready and sharpen our cutlass to take on the perils of the seven seas. Or, maybe, just stay home and keep an eye out for any updates from Ubisoft. 

Unless you want to walk the plank, make sure to keep your eyes peeled on GGRecon for all the latest updates about Skull & Bones.