Is Skull and Bones Open World? - Map Size Detailed

With a proper preview now finally out in the open, it's want to know all about the Skull and Bones Open World, this is what you need to know. Skull and Bones has been worked on for some time. Originally announced way back in 2017, it seems like it has been in development for even longer.

As you might expect, this long development time has led to more than a few changes since it was announced. Luckily, a brand new trailer and showcase has shone some light on the game. It seems likely this will be updated a lot over the coming months to reflect on any new information that comes out.

If you want to know about the Skull and Bones release date, details and more, check out our piece right here. It's our hub for all things pirate-like, and you can bet we'll be updating it more and more often now that Ubisoft finally has its eyes set on a release date for this long-awaited swashbuckling adventure.

Is Skull and Bones Open World?

Skull and Bones is an open world game. It gives you the whole ocean to play around in, ensuring you always have tonnes of places to go and new sights to see when you're sailing out across the vast seas with your crew.

We haven't seen a massive amount of what the Skull and Bones engine is likely capable of delivering just yet, but with how fast the boats seem to move, expect a vast open ocean with landmarks relatively few and far between.

The focus will likely sit on the shoulders of its naval combat systems, meaning accommodating for the inevitable fights against other fleets will take priority over the islands and treasure you'll plunder at the end.

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How Big is the map in Skull and Bones?

According to Game Rant, Ryan Barnard, the game's director, said the Skull and Bones map would be much bigger than their previous game, Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Trying to give a more accurate size of scope, they said:

“Valhalla, a great big open world Assassins game, is 95 square kilometers of gameplay space. At launch, we are 625 square kilometers.”

This makes it significantly bigger. This extra size is needed as ships travel a lot quicker than the mounts in Valhalla. Only time will tell if this huge map is justified.

Ubisoft has put out some gigantic open world titles in the past. Its development teams have the technology and experience to build sprawling worlds, and given the development time, it would be sad to see anything but a vast ocean that actually feels just that: vast.

We don't know how much of that space will be taken up by something that isn't water, but you can bet the vast

Can You Leave the Ship in Skull and Bones?

Yes, you can leave the ship in Skull and Bones. The game wants you to explore from the relative comfort of your ship but you can leave it to explore the islands you come across or take on new missions.

The game is designed to be explored and figured out, meaning you won't be chasing down a linear narrative. Instead, you have to fit together stories and work out what the game is saying for yourself.

It seems like a very ambitious property, and this likely explains why it has taken so long to get into shape. If you want to explore most of it on foot, you may be looking for a different game.

If, however, you just want to check out a few locations as you go by, the game is built to support this. It will be as open and free as it can possibly be. If you want to know more about the game, here's what we learned about Skull and Bones progression from a leak last year. If you're looking for a pirate adventure to stick with, progression systems are what you'll want to pay attention to.