After 8 Years in Development, Ubisoft's Skull & Bones Finally Sets Sail But Questions Remain on Innovation and Monetization
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Skull & Bones was originally conceived as a spin-off of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag in 2013, but has been in development for 8+ years.
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The game has been delayed so long that the technology kept advancing, requiring upgrades, leading to further delays.
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The recently released open beta seems technically solid, but lacks innovation compared to Black Flag. The gameplay seems repetitive and geared toward monetization.
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Ubisoft is charging $70 for the game but still including free-to-play style monetization like battle passes and microtransactions.
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Ubisoft claims the game justifies the full price tag by being "vast and complete," but it lacks features like Black Flag's sword fights and meta storyline.