Skull and Bones

Ubisoft Singapore's Managing Director Darryl Long shares how it is building a supportive environment that encourages creativity and empowers teams to make ...

We have all the ingredients here in Singapore to deliver on these ambitions, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. DL: We first built our shared strategy a year and a half ago, but we've continued to evolve with the input of our studio leaders and the people making the games. The game is inspired by events in the Indian Ocean at the end of the 17th century, which they call the Golden Age of Piracy. And it's a cutthroat time, a cutthroat place. It's a live-service game - the idea is that you can keep playing this game for five to 10 years, and that's what we hope players will do. One of the initiatives we do at the studio is called Open Innovation, which is a program to give people the freedom to pitch a game and get their idea out there. We have the opportunity to reach so many players with our games, with something new and fresh. One of the internal programs that then came out of that was what we call Power Up, which is a targeted series of trainings and workshops to support women and help them develop more quickly in their careers and become the leaders of the future. There's been a lot of recognition of their efforts, and we've been happy to see two employees listed among the top 100 Women in Tech for Singapore over the past two years. For all surveys, we share the results openly with the studio, and the insights teams offer help to fuel our strategy and action plan. There's been a lot of investment in nurturing that environment over the last year and a half. So, I got in front of the studio at a town hall and said, "Listen, we've heard you, and we're going to share where we're at." From my discussions with the teams, I had two main takeaways: the first was that it was a wonderfully creative and talented studio who was counting on me to be open and listen.

The new Skull and Bones gameplay trailer has revived a hilarious Elden Ring meme that made fun of Ubisoft's tendency to design cluttered UIs.

The new gameplay footage of Skull and Bones has prompted many players to remember the Ubisoft Elden Ring meme. A new gameplay trailer for Skull and Bones was released this week, and the UI revealed for the game has reminded many players of an Elden Ring meme from earlier this year. On the other side of the coin UI-wise, Elden Ring sparked both praise and confusion with its minimalistic UI when it released earlier this year - many fans enjoyed the exploration-based approach that offered players no hand-holding, while some expressed a desire for the game to give more guidance.

Ubisoft's upcoming pirate simulator 'Skull & Bones' will be releasing this November on the Epic Games Store, and not on Steam.

A lot more was gleaned from the Skull & Bones showcase in addition to the release date. Higher infamy also means NPC privateer pirate-hunters will hunt you more vigorously, one of the several dangers that players can face in Skull & Bones. The game is very ship-focused, and there is no hand-to-hand combat in the game.

Game Rant speaks with Skull and Bones game director Ryan Barnard about story, combat, history, mythology, and far more in this interview.

There definitely is a narrative and in there is a story. But there are quite a few factions, and the great thing about what we're doing with those is each faction will present the player with a new type of technology or design, which will present a new challenge that they need to grow their Infamy, so they can get these blueprints or these designs. So, we're not to the point of a Kraken or anything yet, but who knows, you know, it's a live game, and we intend to support the game for years to come and depending on engaging with our community, where they want to go and where we want to go, who knows what we'll end up adding to the game. But of course, we want to entertain, you know, the pirate genre and see where we can push it. But you might see pirates that remind you if you are familiar with the pirates of that age. You know, making sure that it's easy to pick up, it's intuitive, but there's depth to it. But really, it's up to you on how you want to spend your time. We really want choice to be a big part of the game. The only thing that we're not on land for is combat. It’s definitely the inspiration and the seed, but we are not a, you know, historical simulator in any way. And then, of course, the firepower ships, they're going to be the heaviest damage dealing ships. After what may feel like forever, Ubisoft has re-revealed Skull and Bones, as well as the new vision for the game.

Things only got worse when big Twitch streamers like Summit1g took up the game and popularized harassment techniques. While a lot of Sea of Thieves players didn ...

This way, everyone gets to be the captain, and every ship gets to be your own. The big difference between the two games is that you aren’t teaming up with your friends to man a ship together in Skull and Bones. Instead, each player is the captain of their own ship and has control over a full crew of pirates. One of the most appealing things about Skull and Bones is that it offers actual power progression. For many, the appeal of Sea of Thieves is that you can be a piece of shit to other people who are just trying to enjoy themselves. Now that Ubisoft’s Sea of Bones has finally been re-revealed, I have hope that it will be the pirate game I’ve always wanted. Suffice to say, I didn’t get on with Sea of Thieves. I wish I could write it off as an unlucky experience, but at this point griefing has become part of Sea of Thieves DNA. The lack of meaningful progression outside of cosmetic rewards has fostered a make-your-own-fun mentality within the community.

What does the upcoming pirate adventure game Skull and Bones taking place during the Golden Age of Piracy on the Indian Ocean mean for the game?

Skull and Bones appears to have created an interesting blend of history and fantasy that will give players a unique pirate experience when the title sets sail this fall. The only exceptions to this were famous pirates who used their ships as a status symbol, captaining the more illustrious style of ship seen in Skull and Bones gameplay footage, such as Blackbeard's, which was called The Queen Anne's Revenge - a ship that players were able to briefly control during another Ubisoft pirate game: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Pirates of the time used cannons more as a method of intimidation, as a way to encourage other ships to simply surrender their goods. It sounds as though players will be able to make the most of the Golden Age of Piracy, just as real-life pirates did in centuries past. The new Skull and Bones trailer teased that players can intimidate enemies and reflect their pirate's legacy through clothing, much like pirates did at that time. Other teased features revealed in previews of Skull and Bones include large amounts of customization through an array of weapon and ship combinations, as well as extensive multiplayer options where players can band together to take on conquests or fight amongst themselves.