Greetings, Captains!

As we are now almost halfway through Year 2 of Skull and Bones, we wanted to take a minute to look back at how far we've come and get a glimpse of what's next.

THE JOURNEY SO FAR: BUILDING YEAR 2 TOGETHER

Since April and the launch of our Year 2 Season 1, we've released long-awaited content such as large ships, the new Megafort system, and our dedicated, team based "Death Tides" PvP mode. We've also reworked core game systems such as the Helm Empire, introduced new ones with Item Ascension, and brought in a new World Tier system to offer more variety in how players choose to engage with our content.

We've introduced many quality-of-life improvements across the board: from UI improvements to ship loadouts and improved sailing mechanics. Your feedback has been essential in shaping every new feature or improvement released, from pre-launch testing to post-launch tuning.

Year 2 marked a turning point for Skull and Bones: with a stronger focus on a quality-first approach when introducing new content and improve the core experience based on your feedback. Our aim to deliver more meaningful experiences that meet your expectations, but also value and reward your time accordingly.

The arrival of the long-awaited Frigate is clear confirmation that this is the right direction moving forward. As one of the most requested additions to the game since launch, we wanted to ensure its arrival was well received, even if that meant spending more time fine tuning it.

Based on what we've learned throughout testing and, most importantly, your input, we've made a strategic decision to delay the launch of Faction Wars. While originally planned to launch as part of a mid-season update, Faction Wars won't be coming in Year 2 Season 2 allowing us more time to test and polish the feature and deliver it when it's truly ready. We know many of you were looking forward to it, so this wasn't an easy decision.

For us, this isn't just about taking more time, we're doubling down on our efforts. Our team are fully focused on delivering a meaningful first iteration of Faction Wars that will serve as a founding layer for the new end-game.

To give the team the time they need to re-focus on Faction Wars, we will be extending Season 2 for a week and pausing work on other major key features announced and planned for Year 2 Seasons 3 and 4. We'll share an updated roadmap soon, following results of testing phases in the upcoming month.

BUILDING THE NEW END GAME EXPERIENCE

There have been many updates delivered during Year 1 and this first half of Year 2, with one recurring message coming through loud and clear: many of you are eager for a stronger, more engaging end-game experience. As such, we took a step back to rethink how that could look and what it may feel like in the future.

Our vision and ambitions for this new end-game is Faction Wars, a system that aims to bring it all together in an improved gameplay loop, bringing a stronger focus on large community-centric goals, where the outcome is shaped by every player's contribution.

Faction Wars will be a large-scale, continually evolving feature. In its first iteration, you'll be able to choose to side with one of two major forces in the Indian Ocean: the Dutch Merchant Company or the Compagnie Royale, battling for control over territories. You'll need to strategically engage in battles across Contested Territories to aid your faction in dominating over the Indian Ocean, with the tides of war shifting over the course of the season.

This is the next step in the Skull and Bones endgame experience. Staying true to our quality-first approach, our immediate objective is to make sure the foundations are solid enough that we can continue to build on and expand in the future. Therefore, the first iteration of Faction Wars is all about laying that groundwork, which is designed to complement your progression and introduce new ways to engage with activities in the Indian Ocean.

With Faction Wars on the horizon, we're entering a new era in the Indian Ocean - one that will evolve based on your reactions and how you play.

LET'S KEEP BUILDING TOGETHER

Skull and Bones has always been a journey we're building with you. Whether you've shared your thoughts over on Discord, Reddit, or through the Insider Program, while we can't always act on every piece of feedback right away, every suggestion, bug report, and comment has been invaluable in shaping a game we can all be proud of.

The first half of Year 2 has shown that this collaborative approach works, and we hope you'll continue to share your thoughts and ideas as we move forward.

Thank you again for your continued support, engagement, and passion. If you'd like early access to features in development, an opportunity to share your feedback directly with the team and help shape the future of Skull and Bones - be sure to join our Insider Program.

And join us live on August 6 at 2:00 AM UTC for a special Deck livestream on the Ubisoft Twitch channel, where we'll address some of the questions you may have regarding the delay and current stage of the Faction Wars development.

Not sure what time that is for you? Click here to check your local time.

We'll see you all on the high seas!