Highlights
- Ubisoft will offer a free trial for Skull and Bones during Season 2, allowing players to experience the pirate adventure without the hefty price tag.
- The game faced development challenges and received mixed reviews post-release, but Ubisoft seems to be aiming for redemption in Season 2.
- Following the success of Assassin's Creed 4, Ubisoft hopes its newest pirate game will win over players with new content and free trials.
For a limited time, Ubisoft will be giving gamers a chance to play Skull and Bones for free as it rolls out the game’s second season. Skull and Bones Season 2 promises even more sea-faring shenanigans, and the free trial will allow players to dip their toes into Ubisoft’s newest pirate game without having to pay the "quadruple-A" price.
Initially announced back in 2017, Skull and Bones saw its fair share of complications while in development. Ubisoft’s plans for the game changed multiple times, with Skull and Bones intended to be wildly different games at various points in time. Following its full release on February 16, 2024, the game continues to remain in choppy waters, with Skull and Bones garnering not-so-favorable reviews from players and critics alike. Not long after its release, it was reported that Skull and Bones had a very low Metacritic score.
Ubisoft Teases Skull and Bones Season 2 Plans
Ubisoft releases information on Skull and Bones Season 2, including new enemies, game modes, and rewards for Season 1 players.
The upcoming Skull and Bones free trial period is set to take place from May 30 through June 6. As reported by Pure Xbox, the free trial will offer players unlimited access to all of the game’s available content and will be accessible to Skull and Bones players on all platforms. Season 2 is set to launch on May 28, meaning players taking part in the free trial will have access to Season 2’s new storyline, foes, and upgrades.
Skull and Bones Will Soon Be Free to Play for a Limited Time
This isn’t the first time Ubisoft has made Skull and Bones available to play for free. Prior to the full release of the game, players were able to test Skull and Bones via open beta in early February 2024 and carry over their progress upon full release. Following the launch of Skull and Bones Season 1, Ubisoft announced a record number of daily players. Due to players’ access to the open beta at that time, it is uncertain how that reflected in its opening sales data.
Skull and Bones springboarded off the success of Ubisoft’s first foray into piracy, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, a title that remains much-loved within the franchise for its naval combat. As Ubisoft continues to expand on its 2024 plans for Skull and Bones and offer free trials of gameplay alongside releases, the company seems to remain hopeful that interest in the game may eventually mirror that of Black Flag. Only time will tell if player engagement remains consistent, and if Ubisoft’s strategy for Skull and Bones is a successful one.
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an action-adventure title developed by Ubisoft with a heavy focus on piracy and naval combat. Set in an open-world environment inspired by locations in the Indian Ocean, players take control of a customizable pirate captain and ship and undertake missions to collect treasure and raise in rank. Players rely on ship combat with cannons, mortars, and rockets to defeat both NPCs and other player ships.
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS5 , Amazon Luna , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- February 16, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Singapore
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Genre(s)
- Action , Adventure
