Skull & Bones will not be driven by a story

There are narrative bits, but it’s not the focal point.

Skull & Bones will be released, if all goes well, on November 8. In FZ’s preview, it was stated that co-op was the focus of the game, that the development team “all seen through a co-op lens”.

The story finds itself in playing second fiddle. That’s the conclusion that’s easy to draw from the words of Ryan Barnard, game director. For True Achievements he tells us that the game is not narrative driven.

Skull and Bones is not a narrative-driven game. We have narrative pieces – in the game, you’ll meet important NPC’s called Kingpins which have their own stories that you’ll learn as you develop rapport with them by taking on contracts with them. There is an underlying story to the game with which we build the entire world lore, but that’s not the main focus.

Instead, Barnard hopes that the players, together, will write their own stories and choose “the kind of pirate” they are drawn to. What drives the game forward is rather one “Infamy”-system. The more infamous you are, the bigger and stronger pirate ships you can build and drop anchor with.

Skull & Bones has been under development for nearly ten years. If it was worth it? This autumn we will get results.