I wasn't sure what Skull & Bones really was, until Ubisoft emailed me

Plus: A bevy of surprisingly good new releases, and what I'm playing with my kids.

Skull & Bones, played in first person (recommended for more immersion). Screenshot: Ubisoft. Captured by Game File

Back in 2018, during the E3 trade show in Los Angeles, developers of The Division 2 promised a room full of reporters that their Ubisoft sequel would be interesting even after its credits rolled.

This wasn’t a random boast. They were reacting to a key criticism of the first Division and said that, this time, they were putting the “endgame first.”

The endgame is a peculiarity of the medium. A video game reaches its narrative climax. It’s main missions end. Then it may transform into a perpetually playable sport. The story part fades out and the game’s systems—usually some mix of defeating enemies, collecting loot, and leveling up one’s character—become the main draw. That’s the endgame. Developers can engineer it to last forever, adding special challenges and twists to keep players returning.

If creators get the endgame right, their game becomes a pastime that entertains players for years. Publishers hope this happens, because it gives them more chances to charge players for extra content.

Ubisoft showed another game at that 2018 event: Skull & Bones. It finally came out last week. Over eight or so hours of playing time, it has dawned on me that what I’ve experienced so far isn’t so much the game as it is a mere tutorial for its endgame.

The endgame isn’t just first this time. I have a sinking (!) feeling that it’s…the game.