Well, it seems like the pirate life ain’t for everyone after all. Just heard through the grapevine that Skull and Bones has managed to attract only about 850,000 players since it dropped last week. And yep, that tally even includes the folks who hopped on for the free trial.
Insider-Gaming had a little chat with some insiders. They found out that this pirate adventure hasn’t even hit a million players yet. What’s got Ubisoft biting their nails is the fact that they’ve dangled a free eight-hour trial of Skull and Bones out there on all platforms. But here’s the kicker: folks who do dive in are clocking in around 3-4 hours of playtime daily. Not too shabby on the engagement front, if you ask me. Tried getting a word from Ubisoft through GameSpot, but it’s like sending a message in a bottle – no reply by the time the press rolled.
Oh, and about those sizes and video stuff – seems like someone’s talking tech gibberish. You need one of those fancy HTML5 browsers to catch videos these days. And if your file’s format is out of whack, well, tough luck. Plus, there’s this whole age gate thing. Makes you wonder if it’s easier to just stick to the high seas, arr!
Now, for a bit of context. There are games out there pulling in some serious numbers. Like Palworld – ever heard of it? That one smashed through the 2 million concurrent players ceiling on Steam. Boasts a total of 25 million players. Then there’s Helldivers 2, cruising past 400,000 concurrent players this month. Just to be clear, we’re talking about folks playing simultaneously. Skull and Bones? Not on Steam, so good luck finding those numbers in the wild.
Word on the deck is that the price tag might be what’s scaring folks off. Insider-Gaming’s sources whispered that Skull and Bones should’ve been priced at a more palatable $30-$40, tops. But no, it’s sitting pretty at $70. And yes, it’s one of those live-service games.
But hey, there’s a silver lining. Ubisoft’s charted out a Year-1 roadmap for Skull and Bones. We’re talking new legendary pirate lords, ships, the whole nine yards. The first season’s dubbed Raging Tides, featuring a showdown with the “diseased” Philippe La Peste.
For those itching for more, GameSpot’s got a review and a whole hub of guides for Skull and Bones. Might be worth a look if you’re still on the fence about joining the crew.
