Launched in February 2024, the game as a service finally reached the hands of the public after almost a decade of development and, although it may not have excited everyone, it has certainly discovered a market of dedicated players.
According to Ubisoft’s official website, the publisher is organizing a Free Week for Skull and Bones, encouraging all players to put on their best captain’s hat and set sail on the Seven Seas in search of becoming the most feared pirate in the world.
The entire game will be accessible during this period, so users can make the most of the experience by trying to get all the upgrades they can. The Free Week starts on May 30th and will last until June 6th; as a preview of the trial, the game can be downloaded starting on May 28th.
When Skull and Bones was first released, the game received unenthusiastic reviews, as many critics criticized the lack of content and limited interaction, given that most of the experience forced players to be tied to the ship.
And although many expected it to adhere more to the format established by Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the formula was modified to allow for a more game-as-a-service model that bothered some players. Fortunately, those who have stayed have had a great time.
Competing with open-world pirate games like Microsoft’s Sea of Thieves, Ubisoft’s version focuses more on resource gathering, equipment upgrades, and dynamic encounters with enemies.
Regarding the narrative, the story serves largely as a simple means to push players towards the next battle, but its presentation remains excellent. There’s nothing better than a crew of scoundrels singing sea shanties as they sail towards their next treasure.
The free week of Skull and Bones also coincides with the arrival of the game’s second season, which is scheduled to start on May 28th.
This new wave of content will introduce several new ships, weapons, and furniture into the game, as well as more substantial additions such as fleet management, an encounter with the megalodon, and the battle of the Hubac twins. Considering everything that is coming, it seems like there has never been a better time to become a pirate.
Now we have a roadmap showing the studio’s plans until the end of the year, and everything begins on March 20th with an update in the form of DLC.
For me, it is one of the best games of 2024 and a metroidvania that stands up to the best in its genre in this decade. If you want to read our review, here it is, it’s worth it and will allow you to know if the game is for you or not.
Now we have a roadmap that shows the studio’s plans until the end of the year and it all starts on March 20th with a free update in the form of DLC called the Warrior’s Path.
If you are a Prince of Persia player who needs a little more challenge in your life, this update might be for you, as it is aimed at players who like things a little more difficult.
Exciting news for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown! ?
Three free updates and one story DLC are on the horizon in the coming months.
? The first update arrives on March 20!
What upcoming feature are you most excited about: speedrun mode, boss rush, or new challenges? pic.twitter.com/Rc0uhD0WGX
— Prince of Persia™: The Lost Crown (@princeofpersia) March 13, 2024
This is the roadmap for the new Prince of Persia for 2024 and everything is free
The content that comes to the game adds a new permanent death mode that will make you curse the controllers, and there is also a speedrun mode for those who believe their reflexes are up to the best.
The second update, titled Boss Attack, does not have a specific date, only spring 2024, and it will also be free, bringing with it more costumes and a Boss Rush mode to see how many you can eliminate consecutively.
Next up is the third free update, Divine Trials, scheduled for summer 2024 and it will include more outfits and amulets and will bring a more thorough revision of the game, with new combat styles and platform and puzzle challenges. Sounds intriguing.
Finally, “Later in 2024” we will receive a DLC with a new story that -we assume- will be paid, since it does not mention its gratuity in this case, and there are still no further details about what it will include, but it should make us return to The Lost Crown for a little longer.
Unfortunately, despite being very good, the game’s sales have been lower than expected, as we learned from Ubisoft’s own business update for shareholders: they barely reached 800,000 players after a month of release.
And yet, Ubisoft has not given up, as we have seen with the latest update from their development team, who have not said their last word about the game.
— Prince of Persia™: The Lost Crown (@princeofpersia) February 22, 2024
A free DLC with more content and bug fixes
Yesterday, the developers took to Twitter to provide an update to the community. The game director, Mounir Radi, appeared in a short video to thank the fans for their warm reception. He also stated that Ubisoft Montpellier is far from done with their support for the game.
“We have great plans for the coming months. These plans include free updates that add more content and modes, modes for you to challenge, explore and enjoy. Our first free update will be coming soon,” explained Mounir Radi in the tweet.
Radi did not provide further details, although he shared the advice that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown players should train with Artaban and possibly try to complete the game in Immortal mode in anticipation of upcoming content.
We are very happy that Ubisoft wants to give more support and love to a game that has delighted the press (with an 86 on Metacritic) and the players (another 86), despite the sales not being as expected.
Is Skull and Bones a meme game that Ubisoft has been forced to release? Definitely not, and we’ll explain today why it could become…
I vividly remember the day when Ubisoft first announced Skull and Bones. It was E3 2017, I was covering the conference for an international media outlet, and we all stood up from the couch when we saw the black sails of the pirate ships sailing the seas.
This game was the response to a game that had worked wonders five years earlier, in 2013 exactly, and was called Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. The purist fans of the Assassin’s Creed saga criticized the game a lot, but us regular players had a great time sailing and looting in the Caribbean.
It was then that Ubisoft realized that a game about ships, pirates, camaraderie, and action could work very well. Whether it was part of the Assassin’s Creed saga or not. That’s why at first Skull and Bones was a DLC for Black Flag… to end up being a standalone game that took too long to be released.
Welcome to Sainte Anne, home of pirates
We have waited seven years since its first trailer, but the game is finally here. The Ubisoft team asked the press to take our time to play, calmly and with friends, before giving our verdict.
For that reason, we took an extra week, as the game was released on Tuesday, February 13th in early access for deluxe edition buyers. In my case, I’ve already spent about 20 hours pirating and have been able to play alone and with up to three friends. So hold on tight to the ship because a storm is coming.
The game presents us initially as a survivor castaway from a naval battle at high sea. A small boat rescues us and keeps us safe. That’s when our story begins.
Skull and Bones is out!
Play now and carry your progression from Open Beta ?
Forced to go to Sainte Anne, a prosperous port where there are only pirates and people of ill repute, but where they need us to continue fueling the wheel of piracy in the Indian Ocean.
Of course, the game is designed as live services, so the story is what it is while the missions escalate in difficulty and variety. Let no one be deceived, here we have come to become the greatest pirate of our time and the missions are excuses to learn how to play.
Navigate, assault, loot and board
The game delivers what it promises: we spend the day at sea, sailing our ship in search of battles, collecting goods, and completing missions. And the game gradually teaches you its depth.
Once we arrive at Sainte Anne, the different stalls and merchants show you what the game is about and how to play it. Get a bigger boat, for that you need to buy the blueprint, collect these materials and pay some money. Perfect.
Now you need better cannons, so go to the blacksmith and get the level 3 torpedo blueprints, now collect the cast iron and nickel, now pay for the labor… and so on with every aspect of the game.
Luckily, the progression is not very demanding and we are catching on. Both that and the different types of missions. From the main ones, which advance the story and give you fame and recognition among pirates, to assignments, treasure maps, investigations, and contracts with the rum smuggling network.
After 5 hours of playing, one starts to realize that the game only asks and asks… in exchange for some fun and a lot of combat.
Too much cinematography in a truly captivating world
But in all of this, which sounds very good and has had me hooked for a week, there is one negative point that I am unable to overlook. Because it hurts me that it is like this, especially when its predecessor had already solved this problem that I am going to describe: there is no life outside the ship.
All the interactions we have with other ships, with other forts, with other players… everything is cinematic. There is no hand-to-hand combat, only from the ship. Do you want to board? Throw the hooks and let a cinematic tell you what happens and what loot you collect.
Do you want to raid a strong enemy? Once again, fight against watchtowers and ships, but in the final part, let an identical cinematic be the one to say what you have looted from the outpost.
Even the interaction and movement of our pirate is clumsy, erratic, and not very believable. Without going any further: he doesn’t even know how to swim, if you go too deep into the water, it will push you out as if you were a message in a bottle floating in the sea.
If after playing Skull and Bones you watch a video of an assault from Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag your soul drops to your feet… and rightfully so.
A game that time can treat very well and that is not the meme we feared
If we take into account other games of the same style, as happened with No Man’s Sky or Sea of Thieves, for example, it is possible that Skull and Bones ends up becoming the ultimate multiplayer pirate game we always wanted.
But right now, it’s not what we expected when they sold us the perfect pirate life simulator. Be careful, because it’s very fun and has a lot of room for improvement, but it lacks some key pillars to establish itself as something that endures over time and accumulates millions of players.
Of course, what has been released is not a minor game or a meme, it is a good game that is fun to play and looks really good, but in my opinion, to convince everyone, there are parts that are missing. And the cinematics fail to mask that lack of effort (or desire).
Some investors were wondering why this title is not a free-to-play experience, where everyone could play the game and monetize…
Some of us have been waiting for this game for so long that along the way, we got married and had children. Yes, it may seem like an exaggeration, but development started in 2013, so we’re talking about more than a decade of waiting.
However, some investors wondered why this title is not a free-to-play experience, where everyone could play the game and monetize the experience with cosmetics and season passes (like in Fortnite).
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has defended the decision to price Skull and Bones at $70 despite its live service leanings, calling it a "quadruple-A game".https://t.co/6xc6SqMOSTpic.twitter.com/uMlwsTbby0
In that same place, and thanks to a report from VGC, we learned that the CEO of Ubisoft has made comments about the price they have set for Skull and Bones.
“You will see that Skull and Bones is a full-fledged game. It is a very big game, and we believe that people will truly see how vast and complete it is. It is a truly complete, triple… quadruple A game, that will deliver in the long term,” said the CEO of the company.
That being said, Yves pointed out that it is a complete game and even referred to it as a quadruple triple gameA. However, it remains to be seen how this will hold up when the title is released and we start to see the subsequent release of content to support the game.
For those who don’t know, Skull and Bones is an action and adventure game set in the golden age of piracy. Players will take on the role of pirate captains and engage in naval warfare in search of precious loot.
Currently, the official release of the game is scheduled for February 16, 2024. You will find Skull and Bones available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S platforms when the title is launched.
And like a good creator, James Cameron has always liked his works to transcend the medium, trying in all possible places. Because a good story can be told through many formats.
And Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is precisely that. Telling new stories of Pandora through a medium that is not its original one. Obviously, here we have to thank Ubisoft, the great French video game developer, for taking up the challenge. It’s never easy to adapt epics of this magnitude.
The story of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, the most powerful aspect
Set in the never-before-seen western frontier of Pandora, you play as a child of two worlds, born Na’vi but raised by the RDA. Fifteen years later, you are free but find yourself a stranger in your birthplace. Reconnect with your lost heritage, discover what it truly means to be Na’vi, and join other clans to protect Pandora from the RDA.
Set after the events of the first Avatar movie, you will embark on a journey through the Western Frontier, a continent of Pandora never before seen, while uniting with other Na’vi clans to shield Pandora from the formidable forces of the RDA.
In the open-world of Pandora's Western Frontier, there are tons of opportunities to interact with the natural environment. Jump, run, or slide to explore the world around you.#AvatarFrontierspic.twitter.com/pAAdI8AFgJ
What follows is largely the typical open-world adventure of resource gathering, capturing settlements, and various levels of tasks for your Na’vi kin.
But its ecological message, integrated into the game systems by Ubisoft Massive, gives it a special touch. Large expanses of Pandora’s environment have been contaminated by human industrial facilities, ranging from small drilling platforms to extensive oil refineries.
Much of the game revolves around sabotaging these facilities, using a mix of stealth and combat to evade the military garrison’s troops.
Gameplay that might not convince everyone
To adapt James Cameron’s worlds into the video game, Ubisoft Massive sensibly follows the boundaries between Avatar and Far Cry, resulting in a game perfectly capable of traversing stunning environments and fighting against the industrial scourge of Avatar’s human colonists.
However, while Frontiers of Pandora is entertaining, it doesn’t do much to advance either Avatar or the open-world format.
— Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (@AvatarFrontiers) December 5, 2023
Stealth is simple yet effective, encouraging you to take the high ground. You might think it’s easy to spot a two-meter-tall blue alien perched on a distillation unit, but the RDA helmets limit their troops’ ability to look upward.
In combat, a mix of bows and human firearms is used to take down soldiers, robots, and enemy aircraft. Like in the movies, the fights are non-bloody but very physical. Your Na’vi’s longer limbs and larger weapons allow you to easily strike those wicked little humans.
A powerful and necessary ecological message
When a human installation becomes disabled, a very common occurrence in the game, the environment transforms. Dead brown flora springs back to iridescent life, and animals repopulate the area.
This change not only looks splendid but also allows you to take advantage of the rejuvenated landscape, picking fruits and animal eggs from tree canopies to cook meals that enhance your abilities. You can also gather resources like wood and animal hides to craft new weapons and equipment.
None of this is particularly radical, but what’s interesting is how Frontiers of Pandora emphasizes the physical and spiritual ritual of taking what you need from the forest. You must gather resources at the right time and in the right way to receive the best quality materials, while animals must be cleanly killed to avoid ruining their hides and meat.
The way the game reinforces being one with nature through its interactions is compelling. Even navigating the forest correctly can help you run faster and jump higher, leading to an exciting first-person platforming experience. However, as The Guardian‘s colleagues note, the Na’vi aren’t written particularly well; they all speak like your melancholic grandpa, incapable of going five minutes without imparting wisdom.
Find out when Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora officially releases in your region. pic.twitter.com/IkwvkOJuGE
— Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (@AvatarFrontiers) December 4, 2023
Final conclusions: Is Ubisoft’s new game worth it?
Although the combat and stealth are enjoyable, the game’s possibilities are lesser compared to what’s seen in the Far Cry series. Combat abilities are fewer and simpler, while stealth lacks the intricate joys of the Ubisoft Montreal series.
Visually, Frontiers of Pandora is often stunning, especially its exceptional jungle environments. However, the game struggles to maintain that quality at a distance, which becomes an issue in sparser, rugged, and rocky areas.
Nevertheless, it’s a well-made Avatar game. If you’re a fan of James Cameron’s movies, you’ll have a blast, and even Avatar skeptics will find something to enjoy amid Pandora’s dense foliage.
The 59.99 euro edition of Skull and Bones, which can now be reserved in the Ubisoft store, will be accompanied by these advantages for players…
Skull and Bones, Ubisoft’s pirate adventure, finally has a release date after enduring more than four delays since it was announced at E3 2018. A lot has happened since then… specifically five years, almost heading into six. If all goes as planned, it will hit the shelves on February 16, 2024.
Skull and Bones has been in the works for a long time, as its development began over a decade ago, in 2013. Yes, similar to what happened with Starfield, it’s arriving more than a decade after its development started… and this usually isn’t good news.
Since then, it has suffered repeated delays (it was originally expected to arrive in 2018), and more recently, its release has been moved to the fourth quarter of Ubisoft’s current fiscal year, which means it will be launched between January and March 2024.
A seemingly definitive date
According to Insider Gaming, which has a good track record with Ubisoft leaks, the French company has narrowed down the release window to February 16, 2024.
The website claims that the publisher is likely to officially announce the new release date “in the coming weeks,” possibly during December’s The Game Awards gala.
The €59.99 edition of Skull and Bones, already available for pre-order in Ubisoft’s store, will be accompanied by another Premium edition costing €89.99, including three days of early access.
Imagine playing 72 hours before the release… after waiting for more than 10 years for its arrival.
Skull & Bones is reportedly releasing for Xbox on February 16th 2024…
In addition to Skull and Bones, which will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC, the first quarter of 2024 will witness the launch of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, as well as the free-to-play games Rainbow Six Mobile, The Division Resurgence, and XDefiant.
The video game industry is facing one of its worst moments. Just a few days ago, we reported that Bungie, the creator of famous game series like Halo and Destiny, decided to lay off some of its staff as a cost-cutting measure. Today, it’s Ubisoft‘s turn, the company behind the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry series.
According to The Verge, Ubisoft has laid off 124 employees from Hybride, its visual effects studio, and its global IT team. Hybride, based in Montreal (Canada), is a significant player in both the video game and film industry, having worked on major projects like The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and Jack Ryan, among other productions.
Antoine Leduc-Labelle, a spokesperson for Ubisoft, stated that 98 out of the 124 employees laid off worked in Canada, which represents less than 2% of the company’s workforce in the country. Leduc-Labelle also mentioned that the measure would not affect Ubisoft’s production teams.
“In recent months, each team within Ubisoft has been exploring ways to streamline our operations and enhance our collective efficiency so that we are better positioned for long-term success,” said Leduc-Labelle in a statement to The Verge. “These are not decisions made lightly.”
Ubisoft’s spokesperson also clarified that Canadian workers will receive severance packages, extended benefits, and professional assistance, something that was also communicated by Bungie when they laid off part of their staff. While this might seem logical in countries like Spain, it may not be as common in the United States.
Once again, these layoffs add to the many that the technology industry has been experiencing since the pandemic. Just within this year, more than a thousand people have been laid off in the video game sector, including companies like Niantic (Pokémon Go), Epic Games (Fortnite), Naughty Dog (The Last of Us), and CD Projekt Red (Cyberpunk 2077).
Insider Gaming has reported that Ubisoft’s next game, Assassin’s Creed Red, will be based on a real-life African samurai named Yasuke. And thus, for the first time ever, the protagonist of an AC will be a person who actually existed.
Although Yasuke’s story takes place mainly in fiction, historically he was a real person who existed, making him the first Assassin’s Creed protagonist to fit that description.
EXCLUSIVE – Assassin’s Creed Red To Feature First Assassin That Actually Existedhttps://t.co/CMGcBdI23E
Theories about Yasuke’s appearance in Assassin’s Creed Red arose from its reporting earlier this year, which confirmed that the game would have two playable characters.
Speaking to sources, Insider Gaming understands that the male character is indeed Yasuke, but his story has been rewritten to align with the game’s story and direction.
Earlier this year, Twitter user j0nathan revealed some details about the female protagonist named “Naoe,” who seeks revenge after the death of her father.
Les 500 likes ont été atteints, voici donc deux infos exclusives :
– L'héroïne devrait s'appeler Naoé/Naoi (mais il pourrait être modifié d'ici la sortie du jeu, comme Jora est devenu Eivor dans Valhalla). Il est d'ailleurs fort probable que ce soit son nom en japonais "ナオエ"… https://t.co/UjvOuDWiKI
Insider Gaming corroborated this information, with Naoe’s full name currently being called Naoe Fujibayashi – The daughter of the real-life legendary Fujibayashi Nagato, who is considered to be one of the three greatest Iga jōnin.
Like Naoe, Yasuke’s story begins with a tragedy and, unlike his real-life story, his history has been rewritten.
In Assassin’s Creed Red, Yasuke was a slave traveling on a slave ship when it was attacked and everyone was killed, including his mistress, but he survived. Yasuke was rescued and taken to Japan, where he learned the way of the samurai in the service of Nobunaga.
It is understood that at the beginning of the game, Naoe and Yasuke are bitter enemies, but later become allies because of their desire for the unification of Japan.
At the moment it is unclear whether Ubisoft will call Yasuke by his real name or not in the final release, what they are clear from the magazine is that he will be the protagonist.
Ubisoft has announced the closure of online services for several older games by January 2024, many of which are AC titles and more.
The downside of growing older is that the things around us age with us. While a tree can accompany us forever, a video game, after a few years, experiences planned obsolescence, a topic we often discuss.
Unfortunately, the list of titles that will cease to function includes iconic games like Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed Revelations.
Although more recent titles like Assassin’s Creed Mirage will remain unaffected, it’s still saddening to witness the decline of these iconic games.
Indeed, we’re not just bidding farewell to Assassin’s Creed; there’s more to it
The Assassin’s Creed series isn’t the only one disappearing. Ghost Recon Future Soldier, Splinter Cell: Conviction, and R.U.S.E are also on the list and will go offline in the near future.
With all these games, players won’t be able to use multiplayer modes, link Ubisoft accounts in the game, or access any other online features. Additionally, Ubisoft Connect rewards will no longer be available.
While it’s sad to see these games slowly fade away, many of these titles are incredibly old and belong to last-generation platforms like Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.
In an article published on Ubisoft’s website, the publisher discusses more about what it means to retire so many games from the market: “The dismantling of online services for older games is something we don’t take lightly. However, it is also necessary as the technology behind these services becomes outdated.”
This is not the first time Ubisoft has shut down online services for old games. Last July, the publisher announced the deactivation of 15 games. Among them were Far Cry 3, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and Rayman Legends.
The only game that was spared was the economic and city-building simulator Anno 2070. However, the creators promised to “dedicate part of their development resources to updating Anno 2070’s online service infrastructure to a new system.”
