Skull & Bones loses third creative director, reportedly still without a release date

Ubisoft Singapore’s long-running development problems with Skull & Bones show no signs of abating anytime soon.

According to Kotaku, the oft-delayed pirate game has lost its third creative director, Elisabeth Pellen, who had been responsible for rebooting a project that was originally meant to be released in 2018.

Skull & Bones had a closed beta test last month and is officially scheduled to launch during the publisher’s current fiscal year ending in March 2024. However, Kotaku’s sources say a release date has yet to be nailed down internally.

They also claimed that Pellen’s time at the Singapore studio ended prematurely, with the Ubisoft veteran returning to the company’s Paris headquarters this summer.

Pellen, who most notably wrote and directed 2003 shooter XIII and led level design for Splinter Cell’s first sequel, Pandora Tomorrow, had been expected to remain at the Singapore studio until at least the end of this year, it’s claimed.

“Five years ago, Elisabeth Pellen went to Ubisoft Singapore with a mission to reboot the creative direction of Skull and Bones,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told Kotaku. “She succeeded, and the Skull and Bones team is now fulfilling her vision to deliver a unique naval action RPG experience to our players.”

“The positive feedback received during the recent Closed Beta highlights the invaluable work Elisabeth and the entire team have done,” they added. “Now through the game’s launch, our focus is to offer the best possible experience to players by considering their feedback and further polishing the game.”

The Singapore studio is also facing an organised labour campaign by the country’s Creative Media and Publishing Union, following allegations of workplace harassment and unfair treatment at the company.

“A ballot exercise is being conducted this week among eligible team members in the studio to determine whether formal recognition should be granted”, Ubisoft confirmed.

Ubisoft has said that Skull & Bones will be its first $70 title.