Skull & Bones will take gamers to the Golden Age of Piracy where they will create their own unique pirate captains and sail through the beautiful yet treacherous Indian Ocean filled with rich merchant trade routes to loot. Whether it is on their own or as part of a pirate gang, gamers will take the helm of their powerful warship and lead their crew into the endless battle to rule the seas and become the deadliest pirate kingpin.

In Skull & Bones, you are an insatiable, upstart pirate captain who has refused the king’s pardon. Having nothing to lose, you sailed from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, an exotic and untamed frontier full of lavish riches.

However, these rich and idyllic waters are also a battleground where far-reaching colonial empires, powerful trading corporations, and ruthless pirate gangs are fiercely competing for their share of these valuable treasures.

During your journey to become the ultimate pirate kingpin, you will build a fleet of ships you can customize, prey upon lucrative trade routes, and take down rival pirate captains, memorable characters, or other players. In order to survive in this ruthless ocean, you will have to ally with other pirate captains to form the most influential pirate gang, becoming too big to fail and joining the endless struggle for supremacy of the Indian Ocean.

Skull & Bones is an online naval game that will take players across a dynamic, shared open-ocean that reacts to their actions and evolves to continuously challenge them. Building upon the studio’s naval gameplay expertise, Skull & Bones introduces an innovative wind system that gives gamers tactical opportunities to navigate more quickly, shoot further, hit harder, escape deadly blows, and position themselves to decimate their victims. Gamers will also be able to build their own fleet of ships, which can specialize in different battle conditions using the game’s extensive customization options.

Hello Captains!

The time has come for you to take to the wheel and sail into the perilous waters of Skull and Bones during our Closed Beta on PC (Ubisoft Connect)!

Be prepared to face the dangers hidden among the waves from the 25th to the 28th of August.

Here are some details of this Closed Beta:

• Access: Invitation only - see below for more information.
• Platform: PC (Ubisoft Connect) Only
• Supported language: English only.
• Preload: 22nd August, 3am (PT) / 22nd August, 12pm (CEST) / 22nd August 8pm (AET)
• Start: August 24th, 7pm (PT) / August 25th, 4am (CEST) / August 25th, 12pm (AET)
• End: August 28th, 12am (PT) / August 28th, 9am (CEST) / August 28th, 5pm (AET)

Participants & friend invites:

If you are selected to participate in the Skull and Bones Closed Beta, you'll receive an invitation from us on your registered Ubisoft Connect email address. Check your spam folder in case the mail is redirected there.

All participants who received an invitation from Ubisoft will also be able to invite up to 2 of their friends to join them in the Closed Beta. Invited friends will need a registered Ubisoft Connect account. Before sending out the invites, do ensure that your invited friend is able to play on PC (Ubisoft Connect) and will meet the required PC specs.

To invite a friend:

• In the confirmation email you received, select Invite My Friends.
• Select Invite in the Ubisoft Connect friends list, next to your friend's username.
• Your friend will receive the invitation to the email address associated with their Ubisoft account.

PC System Specs

To be able to run the Closed Beta you will need to run it on a computer falling within these requirements:

Recommended requirements (1080p at 60 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11
• Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K, AMD Ryzen 5 3600, or better
• RAM: 8 GB (running dual-channel mode)
• Video card: NVIDIA RTX 2070 (8 GB), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB), or better
• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD recommended)

Minimum requirements (1080p at 30 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7-4790, AMD Ryzen 5 1600, or better
• RAM: 8 GB (running dual-channel mode)
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB), AMD Radeon RX 570 (8 GB), or better
• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD recommended)

To play the Closed Beta at higher resolutions, we recommend the following specifications:

Recommended 2K configuration (1440p, 60 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11
• Processor: Intel i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, or better
• RAM: 16 GB (running dual-channel mode)
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (8 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 (16 GB), or better
• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD required)

Recommended 4K configuration (2160p, 60 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11
• Processor: Intel Core i5-11600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, or better
• RAM: 16 GB (running dual-channel mode)
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (16 GB)
• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD required)

Closed Beta Details

Discover the red isle and the coast of africa

Located within the Red Isle is the pirate den of Sainte Anne. Ruled by John Scurlock, the local Kingpin you'll deal with as you start your rise to the top of the pirate world. This den is a safe zone where you can interact with other players, craft your ships, weapons, and equipment with the help of the skilled artisans who have made their home here. You'll be able to access a warehouse to store your loot, repair your ship, sell the commodities you liberated from rich merchants, and more.

Explore this part of the world as well as the Coast of Africa during the Closed Beta, as you meet the different factions present in-game and face them peacefully or turn against them in-combat.

As you explore, keep a lookout for opportunities to grow your infamy and riches, as well as hidden areas where you can drop your anchor to stock up on ammunition or interact with vendors to fulfil contracts or buy rare items.

Be sure to plot your course wisely though, or you'll face mutiny from your crew if you try to get out of bounds.

As you find your sea legs in the world of Skull and Bones, the most direct path forward will be main campaign contracts. These contracts will act as a guide as you build your reputation and discover more about the world. Main campaign contracts are marked with this icon:

We highly encourage you to go off the beaten path and forge your pirate adventure!

For the Closed Beta, you will be able to play and experience main campaign contracts up until the Exterminate the Rat contract.

In addition, you'll be able to rise all the way until the Buccaneer Infamy Tier by engaging with a variety of activities available in our world, including the main campaign contracts. After reaching Buccaneer, be sure to check your in-game Mailbox to claim a new ship, and powerful equipment for your journey!

Completing the last main campaign contract or reaching Buccaneer is just the beginning. You’ll still have plenty of loot to hunt down, and activities to complete. Make full use of your Logbook, and the Journal in the Map tab to pin and track activities!

In addition, keep an eye out for these icons to engage with various activities:

Activity	Icons
Side Contracts
Repeatable Contracts
Bounty Contracts
Merchant Convoy World Event

There is so much more to explore, but we'll let you discover which secrets hide themselves in the storm!

Closed Beta Participation Rewards

Closed Beta participants will be able to unlock a set of unique rewards for use at launch!

Reward	Milestone
Spoken For Emote	Craft and Sail on the Bedar
Pioneer Set (Ship Vanity Set) consisting of: Pioneer's Sails (Sail Color) Voyager's Hues (Hull Color) Pioneer's Motifs (Sail Pattern) Pioneer's Emblem (Ship Emblem) The Pioneer (Ship Plate)	Complete a World Event Available World Events: The DMC Dispatch World Events can be identified using this icon on the map:
Skull and Bones Welcome Firework	Reach Buccaneer Infamy (Tier 6)

Streams & Insider Program

The Skull and Bones Closed Beta is not under NDA, as such we encourage players to stream their game sessions.

You can also discover the world of Skull and Bones by watching your favourite streamers overcome the odds as they attack a fort or go on their search for legendary treasures.

If you feel the call of the sea and wish to be more involved in the world of Skull and Bones, do not hesitate to sign up for the Insider Program. The Insider Program is an on-going live testing initiative where selected players play different iterations of the game in real conditions.

If that sounds like something you want to get involved in, you can get more info and apply here.

Key Features:

• Choose your own pirate captain and grow into the fierce legend that you have always wanted to be.Select your pirate ship class based on your preferred playstyle, evolving it with a rich RPG system. From the safe harbor of your hideout, recruit your crew, customize the ship of your dreams, and pick up on the latest rumors before you set sail to leave your mark on the world. With each successful heist, as your wealth and reputation increases, the world and other players begin to challenge your ascension. Sailing alone becomes a dangerous gamble. Your long-term survival depends on your ability to form the most powerful pirate gang in the Indian Ocean.
• Experience unparalleled naval gameplay delivered by the studio who pioneered and designed naval combat for the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Live the thrills, brutality, and intensity of naval combat as you fight for domination of the seas. Harness the innovative wind system in order to navigate more quickly, shoot further, hit harder, escape deadly blows, and position yourself to decimate your victims. Stalk your enemies and use your spyglass to identify weaknesses. Rally your gang to hunt and overpower large merchant ships and outsmart powerful rivals. Approach combat your own way with a wide number of tactical options at your disposal.
• Explore a systemic shared world that reacts to your actions and challenge your ascension across multiple parts of the Indian Ocean. Choose your path: engage in combat solo, or team up with other players to take down vicious predatory factions and well-defended convoys. The rewards are yours to share, or steal, if you are willing to face the consequences of betrayal and become a target for other players. There are even rumors of horrifying dangers lurking beneath the surface…
• Treacherous disputed waters separate the unique regions of the Indian Ocean, where pirate gangs compete for riches in explosive naval battles. Confront rival players in competitive 5v5 matches, and experience the ultimate pirate fantasy in a variety of game modes while you plunder the most valuable loot from the Indian Ocean’s richest trade routes and grow your influence.
• Fighting your way to the top will attract greater challenges for you and your gang. As the world evolves, Skull & Bones will continuously test the heights of your skill, the depths of your greed, and the resolve of your alliances. Vast new regions to explore, powerful ships, devastating weapons, and daring enemies, along with greater rewards, will tempt you from across the four corners of the Indian Ocean. Every victory will bring you closer to glory and raises the price on your head.

In preparation for launch, Skull & Bones will conduct several live alphas and betas. Gamers interested in participating can sign up here.

Skull & Bones will launch for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC in early 2023/2024.