Ubisoft has finally confirmed that the long-anticipated MMO pirate game, "Skull and Bones," will hit Steam on the 22nd of August 2024. It is also six months after its launch in other storefronts like the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store. While this move is extending the game's reach, the Steam version will still be tied to the requirement of a Ubisoft account to play. Background on "Skull and Bones".
First pitched as a spin-off for "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag," "Skull and Bones" has had quite a troubled history since its announcement in 2017, with numerous delays and a shift to being a standalone title before finally finding its way to its launch in February 2024. Now, the game was met with rather mixed criticism, with lots of players referring to "Assassin's Creed IV", which itself received another wave of interest after the release of "Skull and Bones".
Ubisoft's Plan for Steam
The relationship between Ubisoft and Steam is pretty complicated. The two of them stopped making titles available on the platform back in 2019, with the company favoring direct sales through its own store rather than giving Steam its commission fees, which run as high as 30%. However, Ubisoft started to realize the large audience using Steam and began adding titles again in late 2022.
The decision to bring "Skull and Bones" to Steam reflects a greater trend in gaming, whereby it is common to release games first on proprietary platforms before moving them to Steam. In doing so, they are able to capture dedicated fans while still tapping into a much larger Steam user base down the line.
Anticipation and Future Updates
As "Skull and Bones" readies up for the launch in Steam, players can already wishlist the game. While there hasn't been an official price announced for the Steam version, expect it to keep in line with other platforms at $70. It has seen a player count of approximately 850,000 across all platforms shortly after it initially launched, so interest in the game is decent despite the mixed reception.
Ubisoft has pledged to ensure that new content for "Skull and Bones" is released every 12 weeks. Since Season 2 came out on May 28, 2024, Season 3 is due between September and October. Such consistency serves to help retain existing players while also enticing prospective audiences on the Steam marketplace.
Conclusion
Ubisoft is going to re-enchant its passion for "Skull and Bones" because of the upcoming release on Steam and an increase in its player count. Able to tap into the vast audience this platform has, with the continuous turning out of new content, the company set its eyes on twisting the game's initial lukewarm reception to its side and placing "Skull and Bones" in pole position as far as MMO is concerned.
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