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Skull and Bones was a complete disaster from Ubisoft. Let’s go through some reasons why it failed to capture the vibes of AC Black Flag.
The work on Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones started in 2013, and it was supposed to be a part of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. However, Ubisoft announced it as an independent game at E3 2017. The developers promised fans that they would be getting an experience better than Black Flag. Moreover, it was the first AAAA game in gaming history. Skull and Bones was delayed six times before releasing on February 13, 2024.
Skull and Bones is a 5v5 game where players fight each other using their ships across the seas. The game took inspiration from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag but forgot to implement some major mechanics. This resulted in the failure of a game that was supposed to be the first AAAA game.
In this article, we have listed five reasons why Skull and Bones failed to live up to AC Black Flag’s hype.
Reasons Behind the Failure of Skull and Bones
1) Combat System
The Assassin’s Creed franchise is known for cool combat mechanics with blades and swords. While Skull and Bones is a different game, it does follow in the footsteps of AC Black Flag. But there is little to no combat in the game, unlike its inspiration. This is one of the main reasons for its failure, as everybody loves a good combat system with a lot of action, counter-attacks, and finishers. Skull and Bones does not deliver this kind of combat and therefore fails to live up to Black Flag’s hype.
2) Janky Animations
Despite being in development for over 10 years, Skull and Bones does not offer a good experience when it comes to animations. Many characters in the game have janky facial animations. Sometimes, it looks worse than AC Black Flag, which was released in 2013. The developers tried to implement new mechanics, and along the way, they forgot that character animations matter too. Some players say that Black Flag has ten times better facial animations than Skull and Bones, and this statement says a lot.
3) Stamina Bar
Ever thought of a ship having a stamina bar? Well, Ubisoft decided to make an ultra-realistic game by doing just that. Whenever a player interacts with the speed of the ship, a depletion in the stamina bar can be seen. This infuriated some players, as it does not make any sense. However, the developers stated that the bar represents the stamina of the crew. It might sound like a cool, realistic mechanic, but when compared to AC Black Flag, it’s just a nuisance.
4) You Are the Ship
A ship is like another home for pirates, but Skull and Bones takes this into a different universe. Most of the time, it feels like players are not playing as pirates but as ships. There is not much players can do other than be on the ship and tend to it to become more powerful. This is a live service game with a 5v5 setting, so it does make sense to prioritize the ship. However, this directly affects a player’s experience as a pirate.
5) The Delays
The main reason Skull and Bones did not live up to Black Flag’s hype is the number of delays. The game was delayed a total of six times from 2017 to 2024. Each year, Ubisoft said that they needed to make a perfect game for all the fans.
However, after the release, the game was a total mess filled with unwanted purchases, bugs, a bland world, and a $70 price tag. The thing that angered players even more was that they could not board their friends’ ships. There were so many problems with the game, and ultimately, it was labeled as the worst pirate game of all time.
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