[GameSpot] - Skull And Bones Is Seemingly One Step Closer To Actually Releasing With ESRB Rating Description

[343iBot]

Ubisoft's long-in-development pirate game Skull And Bones is getting closer to launch, and now it's been rated for release in multiple territories, suggesting that the game will soon see the light of day.

South Korea's Game Rating and Administration Committee has posted a rating for Skull And Bones, as discovered by @the_marmolade on Twitter (via VGC). The rating doesn't reveal anything new about Skull & Bones, but it does pave the way for the game to be released. The ESRB database now shows a rating for Skull And Bones as well, along with a description about its M-for-Mature rating.

Skull And Bones ESRB Rating Summary

"This is a naval-combat action game in which players assume the role of a shipwrecked outcast on a journey to become a pirate captain. As players take on missions, they can explore settlements and engage in dramatic sea battles. From a first-person perspective, players command their crew to shoot cannons at rivals (e.g., warships, merchant ships, settlements/forts) in attempts to obtain loot/goods. Enemy ships can be rammed and boarded, resulting in brief cutscenes of crew members shooting or slashing at each other. Combat is highlighted by gunfire/cannon fire, explosions, and blood-splatter effects. Some territories depict corpses impaled on spikes or hanging from nooses; beaches may depict corpses and large bloodstains in the aftermath of battle. Settlements occasionally contain brothels and prostitutes that call out to players when approached (e.g., “Come spend your coin all over me”; “The price of my a*se goes up tomorrow, so buy a piece today!”). Players can also engage in quests to bring poppies to opium dens, which are depicted with patrons lying on couches smoking pipes. The words “f**k” and “****e” appear in the dialogue."

Skull And Bones getting a rating is no big surprise, as Ubisoft plans to release the title sometime in the next year, and getting approval for release by ratings groups is part of that process.

Skull And Bones was announced at E3 2017, but its road to launch hasn't been smooth sailing. The game, which is in development at Ubisoft Singapore, is said to have undergone numerous changes throughout the course of its development, including a shift to a live-service approach in 2020.

In April, a lengthy gameplay video emerged from a Skull And Bones technical test that provided the best look yet at the pirate game and what it will offer. The goal is to become the most infamous pirate on the seas during the golden age of piracy. Players can disembark their ship at a place called Saint-Anne where they can craft new ships and equipment, collect provisions, take on contracts, and socialize with other human players, according to the leaked video.

The video also reveals that players will have their reputation tracked through an "infamy" scale that they can grow by taking on contracts with rewards for succeeding and penalties for coming up short. Users can also take part in world events and plunder treasure chests to gain infamy. What's more, the video reveals some of the character creation and customization options available to players, as well as the systems that call on players to manage their ship health and crew morale when at sea.

Ubisoft reacted to the leak by telling fans to "keep your eyes on the horizon." Reading between the lines here, it appears Ubisoft might be gearing up to make some kind of an official announcement about the game soon. Ubisoft historically holds a summer games showcase of some kind, but the company has not yet announced plans for this as of yet.

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