Skull & Bones PS5 PlayStation

Skull & Bones release has been a long time coming (development began in 2013, initially conceived as DLC for Assassins Creed: Black Flag), and its November release date is approaching at a steady clip.

While the project has changed significantly over the years in size and scope (it was going to be an MMO at one point), the promise of large-scale pirate battles is enticing. We got to see the game in action last month in an extended gameplay trailer, and players can expect naval encounters a-plenty.

Just don't go in expecting a grand story of swashbuckling splendour, as Skull & Bones is apparently a gameplay-focused game first and foremost.

In an interview with True Achievements, game director Ryan Barnard had the following to say on the matter.

“Skull and Bones is not a narrative-driven game. We have narrative pieces — in the game, you'll meet important NPCs called Kingpins which have their own stories that you'll learn as you develop rapport with them by taking on contracts with them.

"There is an underlying story to the game with which we build the entire world lore, but that's not the main focus. We want players to create their own stories and be able to choose the type of pirate they want to be."

"That being said, what drives you through the progression system which we call Infamy, is the fact that you will gain access to blueprints in the game which will give you different types of ships, weapons, and armours, and you'll need those as you move and explore around the world to be effective against new foes.”

So, it sounds like Skull & Bones will be much more of a player-led experience, with your interactions with the various factions and other players being the real meat and potatoes of the game. This probably shouldn't be too surprising, considering what we have seen of the game so far, and the fact that Skull & Bones is a live-service game.

Are you looking forward to Skull & Bones? Set sail for the comments section below.

[source trueachievements.com, via eurogamer.net]