The fate of Skull & Bones becomes increasingly pressing with every passing day, and for a game that should be an absolute riot on paper, it's a huge shame.

Swashbuckling has been missed by players struggling to engage with Sea of Thieves, with a realistic pirating game being last seen on a wide scale in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag.

It was hoped that Skull & Bones would be a return to form, but after massive delays and word of development chaos, hopes for the game have dwindled.

If the new rumours are to be believed, it looks like Ubisoft can't keep its hopes up either.

Skull & Bones Is Reportedly Refunding Pre-Orders

New reports are kicking off on Twitter and Reddit, indicating that some players are receiving automatic refunds for their pre-orders of Skull & Bones.

If this is the case, it's further stoking the fire of fan concerns for the game's development. Skull & Bones no longer has a listed release date and has been stripped from sale on the PlayStation Store.

The nautical adventure can still be added to players' wishlists, and if you're on Xbox, it can be pre-ordered on Xbox.

It's a bizarre turn of events, as you'd think that even despite its flubs so far, Ubisoft would want to be guzzling those pre-orders. Either Ubisoft has had a change of heart or there's some kind of technical fault. 

Ubisoft Responds To Refunded Pre-Order Of Skull & Bones

It looks like Ubisoft has come forward to address the cancelled pre-order of the game, but only to one individual who has complained about the situation with the pre-order itself.

Ubisoft asked one Twitter user to contact directly for information on their pre-order, but after they refused and said they only wanted to know if the game is still set to release, the Ubisoft Support account states, "The team is still planning to release at a later date."

None of this is very helpful, especially as not even Ubisoft seems to have the answers. Still, it doesn't bode well. Then again, at this stage, few things would for Skull & Bones - a game that feels pretty cursed.