Fact check: A company that mismanages the development of Skull and Bones as poorly as Ubisoft deserves financial struggles.

1. Summary of the results

1. Summary of the results:

The development of Skull and Bones has indeed been troubled, with concrete evidence showing:

• 11 years of development (2013-2024)
• Estimated costs between $200-850 million (different sources cite different amounts)
• Multiple delays and leadership changes
• Poor commercial performance with only 850,000 players by February 2024
• Peaked at just 2,615 concurrent Steam players
• Ubisoft is facing significant financial challenges, including €271.8 million in losses and €1 billion in debt

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints:

• This was Ubisoft Singapore's first lead triple-A game, suggesting inexperience rather than pure mismanagement
• The game underwent a major transformation during development, indicating attempts to improve rather than neglect
• Ubisoft's current financial struggles stem from multiple factors:

Overall drop in digital revenues (27%)

Decline in player spending (39%)

• Multiple underperforming titles, not just Skull and Bones
• Legal obligations with the Singapore government may have prevented Ubisoft from canceling the project, forcing them to release it despite issues

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement:

• The statement suggests a direct causal relationship between Skull and Bones' development and Ubisoft's financial struggles, when the analyses show multiple contributing factors
• The use of "deserves" implies intentional mismanagement, while the evidence suggests a more complex situation involving inexperience, market changes, and possible contractual obligations
• The statement oversimplifies a complex business situation into a moral judgment about deservedness of financial struggles