Get ready to rise from being an outcast to becoming the most infamous pirate kingpin in the Indian Ocean and build your smuggling empire. Just in time for the Lunar New Year holidays, gamers will get to spend the next four days on the Open Beta for Ubisoft’s co-op open world pirated action RPG Skull and Bones. The Open Beta runs from 8 to 11 February, with full support for cross-play and cross-progression on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (via Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect).
Open Beta players will be able to reach the Infamy Cap of Tier 6 and earn up to 5 exclusive rewards including unique ship cosmetics (sail emblem and sail pattern), a ‘sign language’ emote, a “Basilisk I” Culverin weapon, and “Cookie” the Lemur pet.
Best of all, you’ll get to carry-over your Open Beta progression into the full game when it launches on 16 February. So if you enjoyed your time in the Open Beta, head on down to pre-order the full game. Pre-order the Premium Edition or subscribe to Ubisoft+ to gain Early Access and play the full game 3 days early on 13 February!
To get a sense of how much content the game will have to keep gamers busy at launch, the main campaign contracts will take 25+ hours to complete, along with 40+ hours of additional side mission content, and the endgame content will clock in at roughly 80+ hours.
Being a pirate and sailing the high seas means you’ll need plenty of awesome Sea Shanties to keep the spirits high, and the game will feature 30 shanties at launch, in 4 different Southeast Asian languages.
Post-launch, players will have plenty to look forward to as Ubisoft has already mapped out a “Rise of the Kingpins” Year 1 Roadmap. Starting from around 27 February onwards, players will embark on a perilous journey facing Legendary Pirate Lords like Philippe La Peste, the Hubac Twins, Li Tian Ning and a mystery rival. Strategic ship loadouts, along with seasonal ships and gear will be key to taking them down in the final showdown at the end of each season.
Rise to the top, and solidify your reputation amongst the Kingpins, earning rewards based on your leaderboard placement. Participate in free time-limited events each season, collaborate with fellow pirates, complete exclusive community events, and claim treasure troves of loot. The leaderboard resets each season with new rewards, encouraging players to continually strive for the top.
Development of the game was led by Ubisoft Singapore, in collaboration with Ubisoft teams from around the world. One of the “uniquely Singapore” features introduced in the game was the Singaporean First Mate, Asnah Yatim (watch the video below from 4:54 onwards) who sticks with the player throughout the game, and speaks in a distinct Singaporean accent.
And finally, check out the launch trailer and get hyped for the game’s impending release on 16 February across PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (via Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect).
Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home’s centre-piece.
Natalie
