Skull and Bones will be officially revealed by Ubisoft during the week of July 4, according to a report published Friday by Try Hard Guides.
Originally revealed in 2017, Skull and Bones has been said to feature both a single-player campaign and a multiplayer mode that incorporates live service features including microtransactions. The game has suffered several delays in its near decade-long development, most recently being announced by Ubisoft to release "during the second half of its fiscal year."
According to prominent gaming insider Tom Henderson on Friday, sources have indicated that the long-anticipated pirate adventure title will be revealed next early month, complete with in-game footage, a release date confirmation and other additional details.
On June 18, a Reddit leak seemingly revealed that the game has been rated in Brazil for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Stadia.
Ubisoft Insider multiplayer testing for Skull and Bones began in April in which not too long after, a leak showed off nearly four minutes of what appeared to be a cinematic introduction and tutorial gameplay for the game.
Naval combat appeared to be the focus of the tutorial video, with hand-to-hand combat showing up briefly.
The video showcased the central island, Sainte-Anne, at which players can upgrade their ship, buy provisions, pick up quests (called Contracts) and customize their characters.
Progression is seemingly measured with Infamy, which players gain primarily through Contracts, and can lead to bigger and more powerful sailing vessels.
Players must provision their ships with supplies and ammunition before each journey, and out at sea, they'll need to maintain the morale of their crew. If morale drops too low, the crew will mutiny, spitting the player out at Sainte-Anne with a hit to their Infamy and a portion of the supplies they had at the time.
The game also appears to feature a crafting system that feeds into ships, weapons and furniture. These provide myriad in-game bonuses such as higher hull HP, stronger attacks and faster sailing.
Those bonuses come in handy when attacking NPC trading ships and privateers, or against other players. Sinking an enemy ship will award some of its cargo, but boarding is the only way to ensure full looting.
Other islands, called Outposts, offer some of the benefits of Sainte-Anne, including cooking food, storing cargo and buying from vendors. There are also forts and settlements to be plundered, and world events that will see legions of players take on major challenges such as huge merchant fleets together.
