Skull and Bones is the subsequent sport from developer Ubisoft Singapore, a studio most well-known for supporting Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Quebec in terms of the mainline Assassin’s Creed video games. Notably, Ubisoft Singapore performed a task in including naval fight to Assassin’s Creed, which–for a while–became a staple of the franchise following Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. And like Black Flag, Skull and Bones is a pirate sport with an emphasis on naval fight.

“Skull and Bones was by no means meant to be a spin-off of Black Flag,” artistic director Elisabeth Pellen clarified when speaking to GameSpot. “From the beginning, the mandate that the studio had acquired was to create their very own IP and their very own sport. But we thought that it could be a good suggestion to capitalize on the experience of our tenant who created particularly the naval fight for [Black Flag]. And then they needed to convey [the naval combat] to a brand new atmosphere.”

But if Skull and Bones is not a Black Flag spinoff, what’s it then? Below, we go over all the things we learn about Skull and Bones, together with when it is popping out, what Ubisoft Singapore’s post-launch plans are for it, and whether or not it helps multiplayer.

Platforms

Skull and Bones will launch for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC, Stadia, and Amazon Luna. The sport will function each cross-play and cross-progression assist.

Release date

Skull and Bones is scheduled to launch on November 8. Ubisoft Singapore began improvement on the sport in 2013 simply after the discharge of Black Flag, and initially aimed for a 2018 launch date. However, Skull and Bones has had a turbulent improvement cycle that has seen it delayed quite a few occasions.

What we all know

In Skull and Bones, you play because the lone survivor of a shipwreck who vows to develop into a revered pirate captain. Set within the Indian Ocean in the course of the Golden Age of Piracy, Skull and Bones will will let you accrue Infamy and develop stronger by way of a number of totally different strategies, comparable to fulfilling privateer contracts, looting treasure, constructing out your fleet, and hiring a crew.

Building on the naval fight first launched in Black Flag, Skull and Bones primarily takes place on the open water. You can go away your ship and truly play as a pirate, although solely at sure factors within the sport. While on land, you may speak to retailers and different characters, which additional fleshes out the historic fiction setting that Ubisoft Singapore has created.

Skull and Bones tracks how properly you deal with your crew as properly. If you do not hold them fed and blissful, they are going to mutiny in opposition to you, encouraging you to be somewhat selfless along with your wealth. Your ships will also be custom-made with totally different hulls and weapons to create a greater variety of playstyles–your ship can specialise in pace and firepower at the price of its total hull power and maintain house, for instance.

PC system specs

Ubisoft Singapore has not but revealed the PC system specs for Skull and Bones.

Multiplayer particulars

Skull and Bones will assist multiplayer in each PvE and PvP servers. In PvE, you may group up with as much as two pals to type a fleet of three ships and tackle computer-controlled enemies collectively. In PvP, each participant you run into generally is a potential ally or enemy, encouraging you to play extra strategically when round different gamers.

DLC/microtransaction particulars

As a live-service sport, Skull and Bones will launch with microtransactions and can assist post-launch DLC. The sport’s post-launch roadmap options plans to additional flesh out crews, together with the addition of distinctive crew mate natures and a extra detailed recruitment mechanic.

“We have a post-launch roadmap with some content material coming–some options comparable to a brand new exercise that ought to be a game-changer for the gamers,” Pellen advised GameSpot. “We will add a brand new a part of the world, a brand new character–we began to work on it already so we’re able to inject new content material.”

Preorder particulars

Skull and Bones is obtainable for preorder.