Skull and Bones – Ubisoft's extraordinarily long-in-the-making (and not particularly good) open-world pirate adventure – will get a week-long free trial next week, and it will coincide with the launch of the second season of the live game. post-launch content.
When Skull and Bones was released in February – about 11 years after its troubled development began – Ubisoft trumpeted “turntable commitment” but didn't share its sales figures. So it's unclear how well the pirate game worked for the publisher, but Ubisoft obviously thinks it needs a little boost given its impending week-long trial.
This will take place on all platforms – Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC (via Epic and Ubisoft Connect) – from Thursday, May 30 to Thursday, June 6. During this time, players can browse as much as they want with access to the whole thing, and progress will carry over if they decide to purchase the full game. And to tempt those wallets, Ubisoft is reducing the price of Skull and Bones by 50% on all platforms for a “limited time.”
Skull and Bones' one-week free trial coincides with the game's second season of post-launch content, which launches on May 28. Ubisoft hasn't said much about what this will bring, but there is a trailer to watch and a little teasing presentation text. “The Hubac Twins were dispatched by the Royal Company to take control of the Indian Ocean and eliminate the scourge of pirates,” he wrote. “Demonstrating dangerous abilities through their songs, they roam the high seas, hunting pirates in a violent duo and laying claim to the region's riches.”
And is it worth it? I wasn't particularly convinced in my two star review earlier this year. “There are times when Skull and Bones weaves a compelling spell,” I wrote. “Cannonballs flying into ship-to-ship combat, impromptu engagements with other players, the brief rush of dopamine when a quest for resources culminates in a shiny new toy, or even when the light just hits another view beautiful. But it's quickly swept away. Embarking on a sea of uninspiring fetch quests and tedious journeys that simply can't support its live work is okay, well, on rare occasions, can. – even be great – but, ultimately, it comes down to this: no. The game, let alone a gripping pirate adventure, should still be this boring.
