Remember Skull and Bones? No? Well, Ubisoft is letting everyone play it for free for a week anyway
It's free, what's the worst that could happen?
.png?width=1920&height=1920&fit=bounds&quality=80&format=jpg&auto=webp)
.jpg?width=70&height=70&fit=crop&quality=60&format=png&auto=webp)
You might have forgotten Skull and Bones, but it's back to remind you it exists with an upcoming free week.
Oh boy. Skull and Bones was never going to come out to rave reviews, given just how many times it was delayed prior to its release. When it did finally launch in… February (yeesh, that really did just come and go, huh), it was ultimately met with quite average reviews, and on the physical sales front it sold less than a quarter of Sea of Thieves' launch figures, which doesn't sound great overall, even in a digital age. But perhaps all is not lost, as there is always the possibility Ubisoft will pull a No Man's Sky and actually bring Skull and Bones to the heights it could achieve (though I do doubt it). But even with that negative critical reception, it's always possible you want to try the game out for yourself, and you're in luck because from next week, it'll be available to play for free for an entire week!
As detailed on Ubisoft's website, Skull and Bones is getting a free week from May 30 to June 6 where you can "battle your way through treacherous waters, as you rise to become the most infamous pirate captain!" It goes on to explain that "during this free week, you are free to play any content you want, whether it is to progress through the main storyline or tackle challenging content with your friends." On top of that, "every achievement, every treasure, and every ship upgrade you unlock during the free week will be waiting for you" if you decide to purchase the game after the trial period ends.
Ubisoft does note that Skull and Bones is also 50% off on all platforms for a limited time to help tempt you to pick it up, though from what I can tell the only place the discount is active at the time of writing is the Epic Games Store, and the premium edition of the game for any platform on Ubisoft's own store, but heading to the official Xbox and PlayStation stores doesn't show any kind of discount, so might be worth keeping an eye on things there.
This free week is also quite conveniently timed, as Skull and Bones' season 2 drops next week, May 28, so if you're quick you might even be able to check some of that out.