Skull and Bones

Skull and Bones is a multiplayer pirate action game developed by Ubisoft Singapore and published by Ubisoft. It launched on February 16, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Windows PC. Set in a fictionalized Indian Ocean during the late seventeenth century, it places players in command of customizable sailing ships rather than building its main action around sword fighting. Its world draws on maritime trade, colonial competition, and piracy, with merchant convoys, fortified settlements, and rival captains providing targets. The central progression system is Infamy, which increases as players complete contracts and establish their piratical reputation.

The opening casts the player as a shipwreck survivor who must rebuild from humble beginnings. Sainte-Anne, a pirate settlement in the Red Isle region, serves as an early hub. There, John Scurlock offers work that helps introduce the surrounding criminal economy. Another major pirate den, Telok Penjarah, lies in the East Indies and is associated with Admiral Rahma. Players acquire blueprints, gather materials, and commission ships suited to different combat roles. Equipment choices include cannons, bombards, mortars, armor, and furniture that modifies ship performance. Cargo capacity and sailing conditions also affect how captains prepare for voyages across the game's waters.

Combat emphasizes positioning, weapon range, and managing incoming fire. Players can brace against attacks, exploit exposed weak points, and board weakened enemy vessels through a contextual action. Boarding is not a separate sequence of freely controlled melee fighting. Similarly, although captains can walk around designated settlements and outposts, exploration primarily happens aboard ship. Cooperative play allows groups of up to three players to tackle activities together. Plundering settlements involves surviving defensive responses while extracting rewards, rather than simply collecting treasure from an undefended beach. Hostile wildlife and powerful sea monsters provide additional encounters beyond battles against merchant and military vessels.

Skull and Bones had an unusually long public development history. Ubisoft revealed it at E3 in 2017, years before its eventual release. The project grew from ideas connected to the naval gameplay of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, but became a standalone property. Multiple delays separated its announcement from launch. Its subsequent live service introduced seasonal opponents and activities; the first season, Raging Tides, featured the pirate lord Philippe La Peste. At higher progression levels, the Helm introduces an illicit trading operation involving contraband production and delivery. This expands the focus from individual contracts toward managing a wider smuggling enterprise.