Ubisoft Claims ‘Record Player Engagement’ for Skull and Bones Despite Sales Silence

Ubisoft recently announced that its long-awaited pirate game, Skull and Bones, has achieved “record player engagement” since its launch. However, the company has notably refrained from releasing any concrete sales figures or player numbers, leaving many to speculate about the game’s actual performance.

The statement accompanied the reveal of the game’s first season, leaving some industry observers puzzled by the lack of transparency regarding the game’s commercial success, or perhaps lack thereof.

High Playtime, Uncertain Success

Ubisoft highlighted that Skull and Bones players are averaging over four hours of daily playtime. This is the second-highest average daily playtime ever recorded for a Ubisoft title. While this suggests a dedicated player base, it doesn’t necessarily equate to strong sales or overall success.

Without key metrics like total copies sold, monthly active users (MAU), or daily active users (DAU), it is difficult to accurately assess how well the game is performing financially. The game is not available on Steam, which further obscures visibility into concurrent player counts.

The availability of an eight-hour free trial upon launch could also be influencing the reported playtime. Players may be investing significant time during the trial period without committing to a full purchase. This raises questions about long-term retention and monetization.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Surge

Intriguingly, data from SteamDB indicates a 200% increase in players for Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag after the release of Skull and Bones. This spike occurred on February 16th, the same day that Skull and Bones was finally released after a prolonged and troubled development cycle.

This could indicate that players, perhaps underwhelmed by Skull and Bones, are returning to the more established and critically acclaimed pirate experience offered by Black Flag. It could also mean that players new to the pirate genre are opting for the older, cheaper alternative.

Ultimately, the revival of Black Flag highlights the high expectations players have for pirate-themed games and the shadow that Black Flag casts over any new entrant in the genre.

A Troubled Development

Originally announced in 2017, Skull and Bones aimed to capitalize on the popular naval combat and exploration that made Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag so successful. However, the game suffered from numerous delays and a lack of clear direction, leading to a lengthy and turbulent development process.

Six major delays ultimately diminished initial excitement and anticipation. The game finally launched in 2024 to a mixed reception. Many reviewers felt the title lacked depth and content, describing it as a live-service game still in its early stages.

iGV’s review, for instance, gave the game a 7/10 score, characterizing it as a maritime RPG with a solid foundation but ultimately feeling like a “live-service first draft.” The game will need continued support and content updates to fulfill its initial promise.

Season 1: Raging Tides

Despite the lack of sales information, Ubisoft is moving forward with post-launch content plans. Season 1, titled “Raging Tides,” introduces a new antagonist, the Pirate Lord Philippe La Peste, and his formidable ship, La Potence.

Ubisoft promises players will “embark on a perilous journey” against La Peste. It will involve dominating the Legendary Pirate Lord in World Events and building an empire. This initial content update signals the beginning of an ongoing journey on the high seas.

The success of Skull and Bones hinges on Ubisoft’s ability to deliver engaging content and address the criticisms leveled at the core gameplay loop. The focus on “player engagement” suggests Ubisoft is prioritizing retention and long-term player investment, even if initial sales figures are not as strong as hoped.

Here’s the list of new content coming to Skull and Bones with Season 1 Raging Tides:

• Tides of Terror: Increasingly difficult seasonal events where players will fight against La Peste’s Fleet of Pestilence. Players will eventually go against him in a World Event, culminating in a final showdown where they will seek out his base of operations, the Blighted Bastion, for an epic battle.
• New World Events: Players will encounter Elite Warships from megacorporations like the DMC (Opwelling), and local factions like the Clan of Fara (Mizerja). Merchant Convoys carrying high-value loot will also be present along trade routes in the Indian Ocean.
• New Bounties: Player can pick up bounties leading them to terrifying legends such as the mysterious Ghost Ship (Rode Maangodin) that haunts the Open Seas, or the terrifying Sea Monster (Zamaharibu) that awaits unsuspecting pirates in the depths.
• New Leaderboard rewards: Higher-tier weapons and equipment. Seasonal Smuggler Pass: Three free tracks allow players to acquire new gameplay items and blueprints to further optimize and customize their ship’s loadout. There will also be free cosmetics from captain and ship cosmetic sets to resources and Pieces of Eight. The Premium pass also adds extra cosmetics and Gold premium currency.