Ubisoft’s second Ubisoft Forward goes live today and will apparently feature new games and a few surprises. Don’t place the long-in-development Skull & Bones on your UbiForward bingo board, though. The studio behind the project, Ubisoft Singapore, has confirmed the pirate game won’t make an appearance. In fact, it seems possible the game will remain absent from the public eye for some time, considering the “new vision” being pursued.
In a news post on the publisher’s website, Creative Director Elisabeth Pellen divulges that production on Skull & Bones is in “full swing with a new vision.” Even though its appearance at today’s Ubisoft Forward is off the table, plans are currently underway to present the pirate adventure “sometime in the future.” According to Pellen’s update, the title’s “comeback” is slated for next year. The Creative Director promises the wait will be worth it in the end.
Addressing Skull & Bones‘ delays, Pellen acknowledges the public’s curiosity. She doesn’t go into too much detail, but notes that more time is necessary because the team’s ambitions for have grown considerably. Consequently, various challenges bubbled to the top, all of which resulted in “necessary delays.” Pellen continues,
Critical questions needed to be addressed over the past several months such as: how do we modernize the classic pirate fantasy? How do we ensure a more immersive and visceral experience? How do we create cool and memorable moments in-game? For most of these questions to be answered, it was clear that we needed more development time.
Since the title has evolved past its original vision, Ubisoft brought fresh eyes to the team. Pellen counts among such talent, having joined two years ago as the new Creative Director. Though she leads the Singapore crew, a host of other developers are also involved, including Ubisoft studios based in Berlin, Chengdu, Kiev, Paris, and the Philippines.
What the game’s reinvention entails remains under wraps. However, a recent report from VGC suggests Skull & Bones will now take the form of a persistent living-world.
Today’s Ubisoft Forward digital event will kick off with a pre-show at 11:00am PST. The full show is scheduled to begin an hour later at 12:00pm PST.
[Source: Ubisoft News]
