Ubisoft is best known for its work onAssassin’s Creed, and a whole host of other franchises including the likes ofFar CryandWatch Dogsbeing the most recognizable faces.
Assassin’s Creeditself was seemingly born out ofPrince of Persia,and it looks that Ubisoft is willing on doubling down on creating new experiences from experimentation.Immortals Fenyx RisingandSkull and Bonesare two of Ubisoft’s newest IPs and share a strange relationship with each other as well as ones that came before.
RELATED:What Skull and Bones Can Learn from Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Born From Assassin’s Creed
Immortals Fenyx RisingandSkull and Boneswere both born out ofAssassin’s Creed. Originally a social stealth focused action-adventure game,Assassin’s Creedhas certainly evolved a lot, and changes and experimentations of the game mechanics usually drive innovation and expansion of such prototypes for other projects. Ubisoft’s Singapore’sSkull and Boneswas born out of fun experimentation during the development ofAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, wherein the developers hacked together a PvP mode of naval combat.
On the other hand, Ubisoft Quebec’sImmortals Fenyx Risingwas born out of a curiosity to explore ancient Greek mythology. During the development ofAssassin’s Creed Odyssey, the team felt intrigued by the rich and expansive stories that Greek mythology presented and wanted to dedicate an entirely new game dedicated to the very same purpose.
Taking Different Roads From Assassin’s Creed
Another striking similarity that the two games share is a sharp change in development.Immortals Fenyx Risingwas announced asGods and Monstersbut changed the name to the former mid-development. The reasoning behind it has been attributed to the role of Fenyx (the game’s protagonist) in the grand scheme of things, which called for recognition. In a similar vein,Skull and Bonesalso has had its fair share of changes with a rumored development restart just last year. While reports suggest that Ubisoft wantsSkull and Bonesto be geared towards a live service model, much can’t be said one way or the other on that.
Skull and Boneswas first announced in E3 2017, and while there’s no concrete evidence to support the claim, development could’ve started as early as 2013 after the release ofAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. On the other hand,Immortals Fenyx Risingwas announced in 2019, a full two years afterSkull and Bones. At the time of writing,Immortals Fenyx Risinghas been out for more than 7 months, with most of the game’s post-launch content wrapped up as well.
On the other, there’s little to no information aboutSkull and Bones' release. Manyfans are naturally expecting to see a new reveal at E3 2021, but that seems to be far-sighted speculation in light of recent developments of the game. While many fans have lost hope aboutSkull and Bonesever seeing the light of day, it’s most likely that these rumors might just be the last hurdles in the game’s development cycle and fans will ultimately get treated to a great pirate adventure at some point in the future.
Skull and Bonesis in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
MORE:Skull and Bones Compared to Other Delayed Ubisoft Projects
