Shortly before the release of Skull and Bones, Ubisoft’s CEO commented on the high price of the pirate MMO, describing it as an “AAAA game.”
Skull and Bones is finally coming to market on February 16, after the pirate MMO was postponed multiple times – but without a solo campaign. The solo campaign was scrapped according to a former Ubisoft employee so that the development team could focus on the open world.
Now, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was asked about the high price of the pirate MMO during a conference call regarding Ubisoft’s Q3 of the 2024 fiscal year.
“A quadruple-A game that will convince in the long run”
What was the exact statement from the Ubisoft head? During the conference call, the question was raised as to why the company charges €60 for Skull and Bones when a F2P model would fit better. The questioner pointed out that Skull and Bones will have many live service features such as a battle pass, an in-game store, and a premium currency, and that the decision to still charge €60 would limit the player base.
Guillemot then responded: “You will see that Skull and Bones is a full-fledged game. It is a very large game, and we believe that people will really see how extensive and complete the game is.”
But that was not enough of an explanation for Guillemot, and the CEO elaborated further, stating that Skull and Bones is more than just a “AAA game”: “It is a truly full-fledged triple-A, quadruple-A game that will convince in the long run.”
An open beta for Skull and Bones is currently running. If you want to get a taste of the pirate MMO, now is your chance: Skull and Bones: Open Beta has started – Start time and content
“All I wanted was a bigger and newer Black Flag.”
How does the community react to the statement? Some players on Reddit emphasize that they only wanted a new and bigger Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag and receive much support for this. Others respond with jokes and make fun of the CEO’s statement.
- Gravoid: “I only buy AAAAA games”
- SpaceGoonie: “All I wanted was a bigger and newer Black Flag.”
- damattdanman: “Did the CEO work as a used car salesman before? Trying to con their way to profitability won’t work in the first few hours after launch.”
Some players view Guillemot’s statement critically, as the designation “AAA” usually means that a game had very high development costs and is not an indication of the scope or quality.
- onethreehill: “The ranking A… usually indicates the budget that was spent on development and marketing. Since the development of this game began in 2015-2016, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is one of the most expensive games Ubisoft has developed to date. Of course, that doesn’t mean I expect this game to hold its own even compared to an average AA game.”
Overall, many players are not satisfied with the CEO’s explanation of why Skull and Bones costs €60. And the currently running open beta is also not well received: Players complain about the pirate MMO Skull and Bones: “The free beta was too expensive”
