You must give credit score to Ubisoft for persistence: One other developer may’ve scuttled Cranium and Bones ages in the past, however Yves Guillemot and co. preserve blowing into its sails, attempting to propel it ahead, and so it’s that one other Cranium and Bones closed beta is coming subsequent week.
For these simply tuning in, Cranium and Bones was introduced in June 2017 as an open-world recreation of high-seas piracy, based mostly on the seafaring bits of Murderer’s Creed: Black Flag, which got here out in 2013. It was alleged to be out in 2018, however a number of delays have saved it from setting sail. In 2022 it seemed like we have been actually and really going to lastly get our arms on it, however after a quick interval of heady hope, a long-awaited gameplay reveal did not impress, and only a couple months earlier than the slated launch in November 2022, it was delayed once more. After which, for good measure, once more.
We nonetheless do not have a brand new launch date, however the upcoming closed beta means that Ubisoft has at the very least a normal goal in thoughts. On this session, gamers will discover the Pink Isle and the pirate den of Sainte Anne, in addition to the coast of Africa, the place they’re going to encounter numerous in-game factions and work together with them both peacefully or in any other case. There can be a predominant storyline to observe in the course of the beta, in addition to numerous aspect contracts and bounties to choose up, and a “Service provider Convoy World Occasion.”
Gamers who participate within the closed beta will earn rewards within the full launch together with ship cosmetics, some fireworks, and a particular emote. Sadly, not everybody will get in: To participate, you will have to register at ubisoft.com after which await the invitation to reach. If you happen to’re admitted, preloading will start at 3 am PT on August 22, whereas the beta itself will begin at 7 pm PT on August 24 and run till 12 am PT on August 28. The beta is PC solely, and can run solely via Ubisoft Join.
And that is what you will have to play:
Minimal necessities (1080p at 30 frames per second)
Working system: Home windows 10Processor: Intel Core i7-4790, AMD Ryzen 5 1600, or betterRAM: 8 GB (operating dual-channel mode)Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB), AMD Radeon RX 570 (8 GB), or betterHard drive: 65 GB obtainable storage (SSD advisable)
Advisable necessities (1080p at 60 frames per second)
Working system: Home windows 10 / Home windows 11Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K, AMD Ryzen 5 3600, or betterRAM: 8 GB (operating dual-channel mode)Video card: NVIDIA RTX 2070 (8 GB), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB), or betterHard drive: 65 GB obtainable storage (SSD advisable)
Advisable 2K configuration (1440p, 60 frames per second)
Working system: Home windows 10 / Home windows 11Processor: Intel i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, or betterRAM: 16 GB (operating dual-channel mode)Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (8 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 (16 GB), or betterHard drive: 65 GB obtainable storage (SSD required)
Advisable 4K configuration (2160p, 60 frames per second)
Working system: Home windows 10 / Home windows 11Processor: Intel Core i5-11600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, or betterRAM: 16 GB (operating dual-channel mode)Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (16 GB)Onerous drive: 65 GB obtainable storage (SSD required)
For many who do not get in, there isn’t any NDA or something in place, so the excellent news is that even if you cannot play, you’ll be able to watch.
It’s almost time to set sail with the Cranium and Bones’ Closed Beta. Need to know what you’ll be able to anticipate? Take a look at our Closed Beta DevBlog for extra data! 👉 #SnBClosedBeta #LongLivePiracy #SkullandBones pic.twitter.com/NqJPjOtAC1August 16, 2023
So, is it actually occurring? My intuition is to play the percentages and say no: That one thing, someplace will go off the rails on the final minute, and Cranium and Bones can be pushed into fiscal 2025 or past. However in some unspecified time in the future, it has to occur, proper? It is like the warmth dying of the universe: Assuming no divine cancellation, easy momentum will get us there ultimately. And who is aware of? Possibly this beta is an indication that entropy is lastly doing its factor.
It’s doable that Cranium and Bones will truly arrive this yr. Ubisoft stated in Might that it stays on observe for launch someday within the firm’s present fiscal yr, which ends on March 31, 2024. And if it would not, properly, we’ll all the time have the shanties.