It is Ubisoft earnings day, which suggests we’re due yet one more replace on the six-time-delayed pirate sport Cranium and Bones. And whereas the information shouldn’t be explicitly one other delay, the most recent replace is that we are able to count on Cranium and Bones to launch someday between January and March of 2024.
If you have not been following the saga of Ubisoft’s deeply troubled pirate journey, buckle up. Cranium and Bones was first introduced means, means again at E3 2017, with a launch window set for fall 2018. It has since been delayed a whopping six occasions, with the newest delay in January of this 12 months pushing the sport, allegedly, to “early 2023-2024.” It is a bit of a obscure window that might have meant any time this previous 12 months or early subsequent 12 months, however on the time appeared to check with Ubisoft’s present ongoing fiscal 12 months, which ends in March. So whereas hopes weren’t excessive, Ubisoft gave the impression to be concentrating on a launch window that is now as soon as once more handed them by.
In in the present day’s earnings report for the primary half of its fiscal 12 months (ending with September), nevertheless, it gave a brand new window of “This autumn 2023-24,” which might be between the beginning of January and the tip of March of 2024. Provided that we’re now at six delays and counting, there’s not an entire lot of purpose to be assured on this assertion, particularly with Cranium and Bones shedding its third artistic director simply final month. We did truly get to play the sport in August and had a reasonably good time with it, nevertheless it stays to be seen when everybody else will lastly get their fingers on it.
Along with the wiggling round of Cranium and Bones’ launch window, Ubisoft’s earnings additionally slipped in a quiet sport delay. Bear in mind the “one other giant sport” that the corporate has been teasing for this 12 months in its earnings the previous few quarters? It has been pushed to subsequent 12 months. Whereas Ubisoft has not confirmed what this thriller sport is, we all know that Ubisoft expects it to be a much bigger title on the extent of an Murderer’s Creed or a Far Cry, and Kotaku has beforehand reported it might be Star Wars: Outlaws, which was revealed earlier this 12 months.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown are each nonetheless on monitor for December and January, respectively. XDefiant seems to be rescheduled after an indefinite delay to return out earlier than the tip of March.
Elsewhere in its earnings, Ubisoft reported internet bookings for the quarter of €554.8 million ($584.1 million), up 36.6% 12 months over 12 months, pushed by stronger than anticipated again catalog gross sales. The Crew: Motorfest additionally had a “file launch” for the franchise by unit gross sales, and Murderer’s Creed: Mirage week one participant numbers have been “in line” with Murderer’s Creed: Odyssey and Origins.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Received a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.