Skull and Bones Receives Mixed Reviews Despite High Expectations
Since its release on February 16th, the highly anticipated pirate ship game, Skull and Bones, has received a barrage of negative user reviews on Metacritic. Despite being touted as a “quadruple-A” live-service experience, the game’s user score currently stands at a dismal 2.8 out of 10. This makes it the lowest-rated game of 2024 so far, based on user scores alone.
The primary complaints from players revolve around the game’s underwhelming and lackluster gameplay, poorly designed end game content, and claims that it is simply boring. Many players have even gone so far as to compare it unfavorably to popular titles like Sea of Thieves and Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, which was released over a decade ago.
One disgruntled player expressed their disappointment, saying, “Where is the other half of the game? 10 years in development and we get a downgraded [Assassin’s] Creed game. Awesome.” This sentiment seems to be shared by many players who were expecting a more immersive and engaging experience.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom for Skull and Bones. Despite the overwhelmingly negative reviews, 18 percent of players have left positive comments, praising Ubisoft for delivering an “amazing AAAA title.” One player even expressed their eagerness to see what the company has in store for future projects.
In terms of critic reviews, Skull and Bones fares slightly better with a middling score of 64 out of 100 across all platforms. While this indicates that the game has some redeeming qualities, it still falls short of the high expectations set by Ubisoft.
Ubisoft’s CEO, Yves Guillemot, defended the game during a recent discussion with investors. He referred to Skull and Bones as a “quadruple-A” live-service pirate ship game and justified its £70 price tag by emphasizing that it offers a fully-formed experience supported by a battle pass, premium currency, and an in-game store.
Guillemot stated, “You will see that Skull and Bones is a full-fledged game. It’s a very big game, and we feel that people will really see how vast and complete that game is. So it’s a really full triple-A, quadruple-A game that will deliver in the long run.”
Despite Guillemot’s confidence in the game’s potential, it seems that Skull and Bones has failed to live up to the hype surrounding its release. With its low user score and mixed critic reviews, it remains to be seen whether Ubisoft can salvage the game’s reputation and win over disappointed players.
In the meantime, fans of pirate-themed games may have to turn to other titles like Sea of Thieves or revisit the beloved Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag for their swashbuckling adventures on the high seas.