Summary
Some gamers will soon be able to start playingSkull and Bonesa few days early even without placing a pre-order or purchasing its higher-tier edition, so long as they have a Ubisoft+ Premium membership. This early access period is scheduled to kick off on February 13, three days ahead ofSkull and Bones' official release.
To say that Ubisoft Singapore’s live-service pirate game went through development hell would be an understatement, as underlined by the fact that the project began over a decade ago, in 2013. 11 years, three creative directors, andsevenSkull and Bonesdelayslater, the game is now finally set to reach PC and current-generation consoles on February 16.
As has become customary with AAA releases,Skull and Boneswill be playable early for people who buy its premium edition—which is priced at $89.99—or pre-order any version of the game. But unlike most such titles, its early access period will also be available through a subscription. Specifically, shelling out $17.99 for therecently rebranded Ubisoft+ Premiummembership will allow players to experience the Digital Premium edition of the game, thus automatically enrolling in its three-day early access period.
From February 13 to February 15
Ubisoft+ Premium is currently available for Xbox, PC, and Amazon Luna users. Ubisoft does have a PlayStation subscription service bundled with PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium, but that offering only includes access to its classic releases, leaving owners of Sony’s consoles without a way to playSkull and Bonesearly for under $20. As for PlayStation gamers planning to jump into early access with a pre-order, they should ensure that their purchase is actually still valid if it was made prior to 2024. Namely,Sony has been automatically refunding someSkull and Bonespre-ordersin early 2023, around the time the game suffered its sixth delay.
Skull and Boneshas been available for preload since the 11th or 12th of February, depending on the region. The game is roughly 50GB in size across all platforms, so downloading it in its entirety shouldn’t take more than a few hours on a decent connection of around 40 megabits per second.
The imminent window of opportunity toplaySkull and Bonesearlyarrives mere days following the game’s open beta period. Player reports on social media suggest that the test was plagued with connection issues, although that’s not too unusual for public betas, whose very purpose is largely geared toward stress-testing servers. Whether those problems persist through the upcoming early access period remains to be seen.
Skull and Bones
WHERE TO PLAY
Skull and Bones is an action-adventure title developed by Ubisoft with a heavy focus on piracy and naval combat. Set in an open world environment inspired by locations in the Indian Ocean, players take control of a customizable pirate captain and ship and undertake missions to collect treasure and raise in rank. Players will rely on ship combat with cannons, mortars, and rockets to defeat both NPCs and other player ships.
