With the waves beneath you and the wind in your sails, the Indian Ocean is yours to fully explore in Skull and Bones. But, as we recently learned, most of Ubisoft’s upcoming pirate simulator takes place at sea. So, how much is there to discover out there, aside from water, water, and, well, more water? We spoke to developers from Ubisoft Singapore to find out.
On Land
Despite the majority of Skull and Bones’ map being made up of ocean, you can step off your ship and walk on dry land. Not every island you see is explorable, but you can weigh anchor at dens and outposts; two special location types that have everything a pirate needs to prepare for further adventures.
“The gameplay on land is about socializing, crafting, building up your fleet and taking contracts in the game in either a den or the outpost,” explains Ryan Barnard, game director on Skull and Bones.
“The particular idea of the land is that it offers you a safe zone where nobody can attack you,” says Elisabeth Pellen, Skull and Bones’ creative director. “The role of the pirate is to do some back and forth between the safe land, where you can build and customize your ship, also trade some resources, before [going] on the ocean to steal precious cargo that you can then bring back.”
“So from land, aside from building and training, you can also take some contracts to make some money from other pirate kingpins,” she adds. “As your infamy begins to spread across the Indian ocean, you'll gain access to your own pirate lair from where you can kick start your ascent to pirate kingpin by manufacturing and smuggling illegal and high value goods.”