If you've heard it before, don't tell me to stop: the release of Skull and Bones, Ubisoft's game about pranking the high seas during the golden age of piracy, has been pushed back again and will now be available after April 1.

Skull and Bones was scheduled to launch on March 9 of this year, itself a delay from November 8, 2022, a date drawn after various prior delays (open in new tab) dating back to fall 2018. So that's how long the "Assassin's Creed Black Flag" spinoff game will take.

Ubisoft said today that it faces "significant challenges (open in new tab) as the industry continues to shift toward mega-brands and long-lived titles that can reach players worldwide across platforms and business models." Major franchise games announced in the past four years as part of Ubisoft's "investment phase" have yet to be released, while recently released games such as "Mario + Rabbids," "Sparks of Hope" and "Just Dance 20" ： Recently released games such as "Sparks of Hope" and "Just Dance 2023" have not yet met expectations.

This situation has forced Ubisoft to drastically revise its financial targets downward, and Skull & Bones is caught in the vortex.

"Players will discover the wonders of Skull and Bones in the upcoming beta phase," Ubisoft said. The added time has already paid off, bringing a remarkable improvement in its quality, as confirmed by our recent playtests." Players will surely be amazed at the evolution.

"In order to give us more time to showcase a more polished and balanced experience and to increase awareness, we have decided to delay the launch. Skull and Bones will be released in the early part of 2023-24."

"We are very pleased with the release of Skull and Bones.

Ubisoft's 2023-24 fiscal year, to be clear, begins April 1. Skull and Bones has remained unreleased for so long that its existence is being forgotten.

After the delay was announced in Ubisoft's financial update, the Skull and Bones team said on Twitter (opens in new tab) that the extra time would "help provide more polish and balance to the game experience."