Ubisoft announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday that its open-world pirate ship MMO Skull and Bones is coming to Steam on August 22, which could greatly expand its player base.
Skull and Bones on PC was previously only available through Ubisoft Connect, the company’s gaming hub, although it’s purchasable via the Epic Games Store and included in Ubisoft+. You need a Ubisoft account to play, so we assume that’ll be the case for Steam as well. You can’t preorder it on Steam, but you can wish-list it now.
The Steam release will have all the same features you’d get from the other PC versions, including ultrawide display support, gameplay up to 4K HDR and uncapped frames per second, and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS)/ FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) support. The only difference between the Steam version and the others is that it’ll be on Steam, which is a surprisingly big deal for a lot of players.
Starting in 2019, Ubisoft didn’t publish games on Steam at all, but it reversed its decision in 2022. This was likely due to an exclusivity deal with the Epic Games Store, and criticisms against Steam’s 30% revenue business model.
While Skull and Bones, which came out in February, was panned by critics after years of delays, Ubisoft said it had “record player engagement” in its first week, with over four hours of average daily playtime — the second highest ever for the company Insider Gaming confirmed similar numbers around launch, writing that it had around 850,000 players during its first week (including people who played the eight-hour free trial).
It’s in the middle of Season 2, titled “Chorus of Havoc,” which features new obstacles, including a megalodon, new rewards, and events.