The Australian Classification Board has rated Ubisoft’s troubled pirate game Skull and Bones in Australia.
This obviously comes as a bit of a surprise. Skull and Bones has famously been stuck in development hell for many years and with no end in sight. The game’s trajectory seems to have changed in recent months, with reports suggesting it has been retooled to sit more in the live-service vein of Fortnite.
The Classification Board awarded the game an M rating in Australia, citing Moderate Impact Themes, Violence, Drug Use and Sex in its rationale. According to the board’s records, Ubisoft submitted the classification application itself, though the site does not indicate when it may have made that submission. It also submitted an application for Rabbids: Party of Legends, which recieved a G rating.
Skull and Bones currently has no release date, though if this new rating is any indication, that could be about to change. A quick check of Ubisoft’s 2022 slate reveals a cupboard that’s looking a bit bare at present. One imagines that, with Summer Game Fest and the slew of showcases replacing the traditional E3 melee, Ubisoft may have a few announcements to make in June.
Skull and Bones‘ last public appearance was at E3 2017. In development at Ubisoft Singapore, the game has been more or less dark ever since. Staff at Ubi Singapore were impacted by the company’s workplace discrimination and sexual harassment scandal last year, which saw several key staff depart amid restructures. In the time since it seems Skull and Bones has gone into an early access preview phase for insiders. If that’s the case, then a release date could come down the line at any time.
Will it be enough to pull me away from Sea of Thieves? I guess we’ll find out together.
Keep your eyes on the horizon, pirates.
Leave a Reply