Skull and Bones has been delayed for a sixth time and it will now be arriving sometime between April 2023 and March 2024. “We have decided to postpone its release in order to have more time to showcase a much more polished and balanced experience and to build awareness,” said the publisher. If the game arrives in 2024 it will have been in development for eleven years.
The news came via very sombre press release and investor call which caused their share price to take a tumble. It was also announced that three other games, which have not been publicly revealed, have also been cancelled. It seems the company is having a lot of trouble.
“We are clearly disappointed by our recent performance,” said Yves Guillemot, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “We are facing contrasted market dynamics as the industry continues to shift towards mega-brands and everlasting live games, in the context of worsening economic conditions affecting consumer spending. Despite excellent ratings and players’ reception as well as an ambitious marketing plan, we were surprised by Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope underperformance in the final weeks of 2022 and early January. Just Dance 2023 underperformed as well. ”
The revised Q3 2022-23 net bookings are now €105 less than predicted, its full year targets are down more than 10% year-on-year versus a prior expectation of up more than 10%. The stinger – “Non-IFRS operating income, reflecting lower net bookings, the postponement of Skull and Bones and the depreciation of capitalized R&D for around €500m, is now expected at -€500m versus €400m previously.” That’s a jump of -€900 million. Ouch.
Skull and Bones was last delayed in September 2022 when it was announced it would be out this March. In a statement, Ubisoft wrote, “Ahoy there, privateers. Our team is hard at work polishing and balancing the experience ahead of the worldwide launch. As a result, we’ve made the tough decision to move our release date to March 9, 2023. We’re very eager for you all to get your hands on Skull and Bones and dive in headfirst to the dangerous and exciting world of building your own pirate empire. To give you the best possible experience we’ve decided to take a little more time to make sure we can deliver exactly that.”
Source: Ubisoft
