Ubisoft stated that the team will use the extra four months to "further polish" the game and "balance the experience."
Ubisoft has announced that the release date of its upcoming pirate battler Skull and Bones will be pushed from the previously announced date of November 8, 2022 to March 9, 2023.
In a press release, the French publisher stated that while the game development is already finished, the team still needs some extra time to "further polish and balance the experience" using players' feedback from technical tests and Insider Program from prior closed betas.
"This is the right decision both for our players and for the long-term success of the game as 9th March, 2023 provides for a suitable release window for this very unique new brand," Ubisoft wrote.
This is not the first delay of the action-adventure title – first revealed in 2017 during E3, Skull and Bones was initially set to launch in the fall of 2018. At the time, the game was planned to release on the prior-gen consoles. Its first delay was announced in May 2018, when Ubisoft said in its earnings report that the title would be pushed to "2019-20".
However, when Skull and Bones didn't surface for some time after, it was reported that Ubisoft is quietly rebooting the title. Then the game was delayed again to 2020, and later to 2021. Sometime later it was postponed till 2022-2023, and in July 2022, the title got the November 8 release date.
Apart from announcing this latest delay, Ubisoft also said in the press release that an open beta will be held for the game before its launch.
"For the most eager of you, we are also very happy to announce that we will hold an open beta of the game in the near future. We’ll share more news on how you can sign up to register soon, so keep your spyglasses trained on our social media for more news and announcements," a statement on Ubisoft's website reads.
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