Ubisoft recently disclosed that its new release, Skull and Bones, has seen "unprecedented player involvement" post-launch, despite remaining silent on the number of copies sold or player count. As part of a press release introducing the pirate-themed game's debut season, the company highlighted that Skull and Bones has an average daily playtime exceeding four hours, the second highest in Ubisoft's records.
However, without any concrete sales data or information on monthly or daily active users, it's challenging to gauge Skull and Bones's success. The game's absence from Steam further complicates the situation as there's no access to Valve's official player concurrents data. Nevertheless, accepting Ubisoft's narration, it appears that the players engaged with Skull and Bones are dedicating considerable time to it. It should be remembered that Ubisoft launched Skull and Bones with an eight-hour free trial, allowing players to evaluate the game before making a $70 purchase.
Another interesting fact is that Steam recorded a 200% increase in the number of players enjoying Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag post the Skull and Bones launch, as per data from tracking website SteamDB. There was a notable surge in Black Flag’s numbers on February 16, the release date for Skull and Bones, which had faced multiple delays during its troubled development years.
Reported in 2017, Skull and Bones seemingly promised to deliver enhanced features similar to Black Flag, which were focused on intense and thrilling ocean exploration and battles. Six postponements seemingly diminished the initial excitement. Despite this, it finally made a quiet debut in 2024.
Additionally, Season 1, titled Raging Tides, will offer players the opportunity to "embark on a perilous expedition against the infamous Pirate Lord Philippe La Peste and his legendary pirate ship, La Potence," according to Ubisoft. Players would face gradually challenging seasonal events coined as Tides of Terror, where they would combat La Peste's Fleet of Pestilence and progressively confront him in a World Event, culminating in a grand showdown at his stronghold, the Blighted Bastion.
Several new features are being introduced such as World Events, where players would face Elite Warships from mega-corporations like DMC (Opwelling), and local factions like the Clan of Fara (Mizerja). Players can also access bounties that direct them to terrifying legends like the enigmatic Ghost Ship (Rode Maangodin) that wanders the Open Seas, or the fearsome Sea Monster (Zamaharibu) lurking in the depths.
Furthermore, lucrative rewards and leaderboard standings add an extra edge to the gameplay. The free Seasonal Smuggler Pass also enables players to receive new gameplay items and blueprints to customize their ship's loadout, along with a range of free cosmetics for captains and ships, resources, and Pieces of Eight.
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