Ubisoft’s Ill-Fated ‘Skull and Bones’ Hits Open Beta Next Month
Seven years after its first unveiling, the “AC Black Flag but just Pirates” game finally hits open beta.
Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag is widely regarded as one of the best games in the franchise. It came out at a time when the fanbase was weary of Assassins and Templars, and Black Flag addressed this by making as little of the game as possible revolve around the two semi-mythic orders warring in the shadows.
Instead, protagonist Edward Kenway flat out refuses to become an Assassin (for a while at least), and you spend most of the game sailing around in your pirate ship going “hi-diddle-dee-dee, a pirate’s life for me.”
You connect sea shanties (and this was well before the Wellerman craze hit everyone), cool swords, and more. It was a blast.
So much so that, back in 2017, Ubisoft unveiled a game that was even more “just the pirate parts of Black Flag”, Skull & Bones.
Of course, not long after, the game was almost immediately hit by delays and other production issues. 2017 was a heck of a year, even by our post-2020 standards. But now, it seems, the ships have come in, and Skull & Bones hits open beta next month, meaning you can play it for yourself soon enough!
Skull & Bones – Open Beta Coming February 8th
In a blog post, Ubisoft revealed new details about the beleaguered game, specifically the dates and times of the open beta:
Greeting Captains,
The tide is rising once again. It’ll soon be time to tread the waters of Skull and Bones on PC (Ubisoft Connect & Epic Games Store), PS5 and Xbox series X|S during our Open Beta. Be ready to raise the anchor and test your mettle from the 08th to the 11th of February.
Along with this initial announcement, Ubisoft unveiled some of the new features you can expect to see, as well as a little about the world:
The seasoned Captains who’ve established their reputation in the Red Isle and Coast of Africa will have to face and overcome new challenges here.
Other less experienced Captains might end up going back to the more forgiving seas of the Red Isle. That is, until you feel ready to take on the challenge again.
Reach Telok Penjarah, the Pirate Den in the East Indies, where you’ll meet Admiral Rahma who rules over it. Like Sainte-Anne, this will be a safe zone where you can interact with other players, meet with craftsmen who will be able to help you upgrade your loadout.
Explore the Red Isle, Coast of Africa, Open Seas as well as the East Indies during this Open Beta to meet the different factions present in-game and face them peacefully or turn against them in combat.
Click Here for more about the open beta
Now get out there, you lily-livered swabs!