Skull and Bones is an open-world pirate game based around naval combat that sees players take control of various pirate ships in order to complete missions or engage in PvP battles. Looking at the Skull and Bones' gameplay trailer, it is clear that the game is designed as a more fleshed out version of Ubisoft’s naval combat system that was first introduced in Assassin’s Creed 3. This system was also expanded upon in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, which contained a lot of similar missions and objectives as those described in the Skull and Bones' gameplay trailer, only without any multiplayer elements.
Alongside an in-depth gameplay trailer for Skull and Bones, a release date of November 8, 2022, was recently revealed for the game. However, Skull and Bones' currently listed price could also mark a disappointing change for all Ubisoft games moving forward.
Skull and Bones is currently available for pre-order in anticipation of its November release. However, its base price is listed at $70 for next-gen consoles. There is also a premium edition of Skull and Bones which reaches well above this price. Until recently, $60 was considered the standard release price for a new AAA game on Xbox and PlayStation consoles. However, since Skull and Bones will not be releasing for Xbox One or PS4, its price has been increased to match that of some other current-gen exclusive titles.
This $70 price point has been slowly creeping in for new games released on the Xbox Series X/S and PS5, and it seems that this is now destined to become the new standard price for all new AAA titles once developers stop releasing games for the Xbox One and PS4. Ubisoft’s two most popular franchises, Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed, both had recent AAA releases, with both games releasing on all consoles for $60, although some players managed to get Assassin's Creed: Valhalla for much less.
Skull and Bones, however, is a new IP for Ubisoft, and although it will likely still sell well, it does have a much more niche appeal than the developer's other beloved franchises. An Assassin's Creed or Far Cry game would have likely done better in bridging the gap between the previous and current-gen price points, while still being popular, rather than a new IP with no Xbox One or PS4 release.
What could make matters worse for Skull and Bones is that its focus on using in-game currency to buy cosmetic items for the player character also makes the game perfect for the introduction of microtransactions. Ubisoft has claimed that post launch content for Skull and Bones will be free, which is promising, although this may only apply to live-service events.
Skull and Bones releases on November 8, 2022, for PC, PS5, Stadia, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Pure Xbox
