The long-awaited and often delayed Ubisoft Skull and Bones has received ratings in South Korea, indicating that its release may be imminent.
The ratings for the PC version of Skull and Bones were first spotted on the South Korean Game Administration and Rating Committee website by Twitter user @the_marmolade (via VGC). According to the site, the game’s ratings were submitted on May 12 and it appears the game is classified as an Adult game and “not available for teens”. We realized the ‘arrr’ jokes were judged to be completely unoriginal here, which is why we didn’t create them at all. Impossible.
As far as the details about the game the ratings provide, nothing too in-depth. Describing it as “An open world action game set in the Indian Ocean in the golden age of pirates”, the list cites examples of in-game drug use, drinking and smoking as reasons behind the decision.
The Skull and Bones is now at the assessment stage indicating its development is coming and is, perhaps, almost complete. This comes just days after Ubisoft said in a financial briefing that they expect the game to launch this financial year, so before April 2023, without providing an exact release date.
We’re not sure when we can expect the next official update on Skull and Bones’ progress, or when we’ll see the new look. However, Summer Game Fest is just around the corner and is sure to bring lots of exciting reveal and updates from the publisher. Therefore, this could be an ideal time for Ubisoft to give players an idea of what’s up its sleeve for the rest of the financial year, although Ubisoft hasn’t announced any plans yet.
Analysis: Where Are the Skeletons and Bones?
Skull and Bones didn’t have a smooth development, one might say. Having been revealed way back in 2017, the release has been pushed back several times amid reports of mid-reboot development.
Indeed, in the September 2020 update, Ubisoft Singapore creative director Elisabeth Pellen said the game was created with a “new vision” and, in February 2022, Ubisoft stated that Skull and Bones was now a “multiplayer first” game, after the initial E3 presentation had mentioned several single player element.
Most recently, in April a few minutes of gameplay footage leaked (via VGC). Ubisoft turns out respond by telling fans to “keep their eyes on the horizon”. At the end of April, Tom Henderson too reported Invitations to Technical Playtests are being sent. Overall, it seems pretty promising that Skull and Bones could be released before April 2023.
It must have felt like Skull and Bones had been around a long time. We played this game right away at E3 2017 and 2018 and had a great time on both shows. Of course, that will change from then on so we’re looking forward to seeing what Ubisoft has planned.
