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Ubisoft Reportedly Spent $650 to $850 Million on Skull and Bones

The losses from Ubisoft's AAAA game are said to be the main reason for the studio's downfall, not Outlaws and Shadows.

Ubisoft

At this point, it's clear that no matter what the final three months of the passing year bring, 2024 will, unfortunately, be remembered by many as one of the saddest years in the history of gaming, with once-idolized studios disappointing many of their fans time and time again with their uninspiring game titles. One studio that felt that in particular, both financially and reputation-wise, is Ubisoft, which throughout the year has seemingly been digging itself deeper and deeper with each game release.

With Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin's Creed Shadows dominating the current conversation, many have already forgotten the game that largely kicked off the studio's 2024 L-taking adventure, a "AAAA" pirate simulator with over 10 years of development behind it, Skull and Bones. Recently, a YouTuber known as Endymion put the game in the spotlight once again, revealing that the figure Ubisoft has allegedly invested into Skull and Bones easily puts Concord with its $50-$400 million to shame.

According to Endymion, Ubisoft has spent an astonishing $650 to $850 million on Skull and Bones during its more than a decade of development, a figure significantly higher than the previously reported $200 million. Reportedly, the game went through several completely different versions over the years, leading to the exorbitant costs, which are said to be the primary reason for Ubisoft's current struggles – not Outlaws and Shadows as many assume.

"Skull and Bones failed so badly for Ubisoft, it was the actual reason why they're dying the way that they are. It's not actually Outlaws and Shadows if you can believe it. So they sunk a legendary amount of resources into that game and it clearly did not work out for them at all," the YouTuber said.

As is always the case with "anonymous insider reports," there's no way to fully confirm or deny the claims, so take everything with a grain of salt. However, given how long Ubisoft has spent developing the game, and the fact that the studio still had successful franchises like Far Cry and Assassin's Creed to support its financials, it's easy to believe that they have indeed invested far more than $200 million into Skull and Bones – a sum they are very unlikely to ever recoup through sales.

Ubisoft

In retrospect, it seems that Ubisoft's current situation could have been easily predicted as early as February-March 2024, when it was revealed that only around 850,000 people played Skull and Bones during its first week, many of whom were trying the free trial, and the game experienced a sharp price decline shortly afterward.

The most disheartening part wasn't just that the developer's "AAAA game" was mediocre (which it certainly was, currently sitting at 3.3/10 on Metacritic) but rather that it failed to generate any lasting interest and quickly faded into obscurity shortly after its release, with Ubisoft barely mentioning it in financial reports or official statements.

While exact sales figures remain unknown, with Ubisoft remaining tight-lipped, Skull and Bones currently averages around 350-400 concurrent daily players on Steam. Even though the game is also available on Xbox and PlayStation, those 400 players serve as a telling figure, representing one word and one word only: disaster. Taking all of that into consideration, it seems that the only way for Ubisoft to rebound is to succeed with Assassin's Creed Shadows, however, given that the game has just been postponed to 2025, it becomes crystal clear why many believe Ubisoft will soon be acquired by a larger developer.

Ubisoft

So, what do you think about Skull and Bones' alleged budget? Is it closer to $200 or $850 million? Share your thoughts down in the comments below!

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Comments 3

  • Anonymous user

    It's unfortunate how long S&B spent in development hell. The time and different iterations definitely ran up the budget and didn't make many friends in the gaming community.

    Fortunately the finished product, while far from perfect (bugs and the occasional crash still abound), is quite enjoyable and IMO creates a gorgeous, well realized world with the most spectacular visuals I've seen since RDR2.

    As with most online games, features are added over time, balance issues get addressed and the gameplay improves but ya gotta be patient (even after 10 years).

    0

    Anonymous user

    ·14 days ago·
  • Anonymous user

    For that money, you would get from me:

    - Ultima Online 2
    - All Ultima Games reimagined.
    - Day of the Tentacle 2
    - Gabriel Knight Reboot
    - Lands of Lore Reboot
    - A single player horror game made in Unreal Engine 5.5, Megalights included. (Ok that… Actually might be underway... .... ;) )
    - Dog Pet Simulator
    - Cat Cafe Simulator
    - Star Craft III
    - Rats on Spaceships 2 (There was never a part one, but might be fun to troll people looking for it)
    - 3 Games of YOUR choice, based on community votes, including your inputs.

    - No shops, preorders, seasons. Just pure old school gaming.

    0

    Anonymous user

    ·a month ago·
  • Anonymous user

    I waited on Skull and Bones for a decade, enjoyed it for 2 weeks and set it down because it was just chores to be honest; the Helm being the most trivial about it. I will say, however, that Ubi has since put in the work to improve the quality of life and have made the game much more coop-friendly and content filled that I have started to play it again. It has come a long way since release it is sad that many of the gaming journals are not acknowledging S&B's progress. The game is defs worth picking up when it gets a discount. AAAA it is not, but it is no longer the flop that it was either.

    0

    Anonymous user

    ·a month ago·

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