Skull & Bones Has 'Just Passed Alpha', But Is Reportedly Still 'Struggling To Take Shape'

Kotaku has published an in-depth report on the status of Ubisoft's Skull & Bones, which appears to have been stuck in development hell for years now, although Ubisoft says the project has 'just passed Alpha'.

Kotaku spoke to a variety of anonymous current and former devs on the project, with the outlet summing up that until now, "development has been marred by just about everything that can go wrong in blockbuster video game production."

In regards to its current state, it was said that "many remain unsure what shape the finished game will ultimately take", and it's "still not even clear where the finish line is." Here's what one developer had to say:

“The game is still evolving. Everyone knows what an Ubisoft game is supposed to be and the design simply isn’t there yet.”

The report highlights all sorts of issues over the years with Skull & Bones, from management problems to financial woes, but in response to Kotaku's questions, Ubisoft issued a confident statement on the current state of the game:

"The Skull & Bones team are proud of the work they’ve accomplished on the project since their last update with production just passing Alpha, and are excited to share more details when the time is right.

That being said, any unfounded speculation about the game or decisions being made only works to demoralize the team who are working very hard to develop an ambitious new franchise that lives up to the expectations of our players.

Over the past year, we’ve made significant changes to our policies and processes to create a safe and more inclusive workplace and empower our teams to create games that reflect the diversity of the world we live in."

The full report goes into extensive detail, so it's worth a read if you're interested.

When do you think we'll see Skull & Bones, if ever? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.

[source kotaku.com]