Though the lyric goes “a pirate’s life for me,” it’s unfortunately a motto players never got to experience with the cancelled game Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned. At its core, the game wanted to capture an action RPG adventure set in the world of Pirates of the Caribbean without relying too heavily on its source movies. From what was previewed and known about the game, it genuinely seemed like it was on the path to be a standout game, but was tragically cancelled months before its planned release.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned was cancelled in October 2010, but it’s a wound that’s never fully healed. At the time, fans of the franchise could play Pirates of the Caribbean Online, but its mixed reviews left a lot to be desired, with the server eventually shutting down in 2013. Though Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is a similar concept to what the cancelled game had the potential to be, it lacks the Pirates of the Caribbean flare that fans would have loved to see. Now fans can only pour salt water on the wound of what the scrapped Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned could have been.
The Premise
In an effort to not rely on the events of the movies, Armada of the Damned would have taken place well before Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. It would have introduced players to their character James Sterling, a pirate captain who was killed on his first voyage but resurrected. In a very Mass Effect 2 fashion, it seems that players’ choices between becoming a “Legendary” or “Dreaded” pirate would reflect in both how the environment and NPCs reacted to players, but Sterling’s general look as well.
Armada of the Damned may have required at least two playthroughs at least, as both the Legendary and Dreaded pirate options opened up unique opportunities for players. Legendary would most closely equate to the “Paragon” choices of Mass Effect, while Dreaded would relate to “Renegade.” Plus, because it was supposed to be an action RPG, there was also the potential for romance storylines that would have truly immersed players in the world of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Most exciting about this cancelled game, though, was probably its dedication to fulfilling the pirate fantasy, something Skull and Bones may not have learned yet. Players could adventure on both land and sea, earning and spending loot wherever they roamed. Naval combat included a similar mechanic to what was implemented in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, where players would have been able to board other ships and fight the crew onboard. Sterling’s ship, the Nemesis, was also customizable, and players’ choices would determine what kind of crew the ship had.
Armada of the Damned would have also had the advantage of using well-known Pirates of the Caribbean locations in-game, even if characters like Jack Sparrow were omitted. The trailer also seemed to allude to Davy Jones, which would make sense because even though he was introduced in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, he was definitely around for a lot longer than just that movie. Though the game would leave out iconic (more or less) human characters, that didn’t mean it would necessarily omit the more supernatural ones—especially when Sterling himself was resurrected via supernatural circumstances.
Dead men tell no tales, but unfortunately, James Sterling’s undead story never got the spotlight it deserved. The developer, Propaganda Games, was shuttered before being able to deliver what truly could have been a one-of-a-kind pirate RPG experience. Players could always try Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag or the upcoming Skull and Bones once it releases, but those games lack the Pirates of the Caribbean draw and appeal.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned was cancelled October 2010.