Pirate-themed game Skull and Bones may have cost Ubisoft a staggering $850 million budget throughout its 10-year development cycle, according to a report. Initially announced in 2017, the game has faced delays, development challenges, and significant budget overruns. Now, sources within Ubisoft claim the project has been far more damaging to the company’s finances than originally thought.
YouTuber ENDYMIONtv claims his sources at Ubisoft estimated Skull and Bones‘ budget to be between $650 million and $850 million. He further explained that it has been a massive failure for Ubisoft, stating, “They sunk a legendary amount of resources into that game and it clearly did not work out for them at all.”
While many believed that other “AAAA” Ubisoft projects, like Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, were responsible for the company’s current financial woes, ENDYMIONtv argued otherwise. “I was also told that the project that ruined Ubisoft was not actually Outlaws or Shadows… it was actually Skull and Bones,” he added.
According to his insiders, Skull and Bones has gone through multiple versions over its 10 years of development, with each game iteration being “completely different.” Although first revealed in 2017, that means the seafaring game has been in development since 2014. This hear-say should not come as a surprise as the game has been delayed 4 times at the very least.
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Ubisoft’s Share Price Has Reached a 10-year Low Because of its “AAAA” Release, Star Wars OutlawsInitially, it was set to sail in late 2018, but the Ubisoft Singapore team felt it wasn’t up to par and pushed it to 2019. Then it got delayed until March 2020, followed by a target of early 2022 release window. Then rumors indicated that the team had to restart the whole project in 1 year before release. Skull and Bones eventually launched on February 14, 2023, but quickly sank.
Along with its troubled development, it seems the lackluster launch was partly forced by the Singaporean government. Based on Kotaku’s 2021 report, Ubisoft has to utilize local talents and release original IPs “in the next few years” to receive the government’s subsidies.
Then, after Skull and Bones capsized in the gaming market, Ubisoft reportedly hoped for Outlaws and Shadows to “pull them out” of this “financial ruin.” As we found out, so far, the Rainbow Six developer hasn’t found its long-lost treasure yet. “Skull and Bones failed so badly for Ubisoft it was the actual reason why they’re dying,” added ENDYMIONtv.
In case you’re interested in more juicy Ubisoft scoops, watch ENDYMIONtv above; the Skull and Bones part starts at the 15:00 mark.
