Skull and Bones Development Time Was “Bizarre”, Says Assassin’s Creed 3’s Former Creative Director

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Although sailing was introduced to the Assassin’s Creed series with Assassin’s Creed 3 in 2012, Ubisoft spent a long time developing the pirate game Skull and Bones. Alex Hutchinson, a former creative director on Assassin’s Creed 3, recently told PCGamer it was strange to see similar features released 14 years later.

The extended development of Skull and Bones was likely due to Ubisoft Singapore lacking the necessary experience for such a complex game. Established in 2008, the studio primarily supported other development teams, contributing to games like Assassin’s Creed 2 and subsequent titles.

According to Hutchinson, ideas don’t stay fresh forever – that’s why the team is moving more quickly this time around. He felt the team lacked experience; they were aiming for a combination of the games Black Flag and either World of Tanks or World of Warships, but didn’t have the necessary background. They also hadn’t fully developed an Assassin’s Creed game before, only contributing to its development alongside another studio. Ultimately, Hutchinson believes the project became unmanageable.

Hutchinson explained that French and Canadian Ubisoft staff sent to support Ubisoft Singapore were often treated as if they were on extended vacations. He felt this mindset hindered the studio’s development, as these employees didn’t seem fully committed to its long-term success or building local expertise.

He explained that many French or Canadian developers would come to Singapore for a year, treating it like a working vacation. They weren’t focused on building up the studio; it was more about having a fun experience working abroad. He also noted that there simply weren’t enough skilled professionals available locally to significantly expand the team.

Skull and Bones was first revealed in 2017, and after a long development process, it finally launched in February 2024. Initially, many thought it would be a multiplayer game building on the ship combat from Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, but it reportedly went through several major changes during development. In fact, one source suggests the game began as an expansion for Black Flag as early as 2013.

When Skull and Bones finally launched, it didn’t receive much excitement. Many players found the gameplay to be fairly uninteresting, which was made worse by the fact that Ubisoft’s CEO had previously hyped it up as an exceptionally high-quality game.

He explained that Skull and Bones is a complete and substantial game, justifying its $70 price. He believes players will recognize its depth and completeness, describing it as a high-quality, even ‘quadruple-A’ title that will provide a lot of long-term enjoyment.

Skull and Bones is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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2026-02-25 18:11