It’s a big year for developer Rare, with the Sea of Thieves PS5 version dropping anchor at the end of this month. Ahead of its voyage on bluer waters, the developer has announced that the seafaring hit has managed to pressgang 40 million scallywags into its pirate crew across Xbox and PC.
“As I’m sure you can imagine, when it comes to Sea of Thieves my days are full of numbers. Development costs, active servers, days until the next update,” writes executive producer Joe Neate in a new blog post for the multiplayer game. “Sometimes, though, a truly extraordinary number stands out – a number like 40 million, which I’m incredibly pleased to say is the number of pirates who’ve now set sail in Sea of Thieves!”
Sea of Thieves has had its fair share of highs and lows, passing through rocky waters on more than one occasion over the past several years. Despite this, it continues to be one of the best co-op games out there, and one which we’re incredibly excited to see get a new lease of life on PS5. As recently reported, SoT’s success on the platform could be the skeleton key to Microsoft bringing over more of its Xbox exclusives to PlayStation. Based on “the positivity and excitement” Neate says came out of the PS5 closed beta, we’re quietly confident that it will survive the tough tides of the modern live service seascape.
The launch timing couldn’t be better, either, as Rare’s opted to drop its Kraken Kombat simulator on Sony’s console when Season 12 arrives on Tuesday, April 30. As Neate notes, the new season will add weapons and tools like “throwing knives and the Bone Caller” – a new throwable that summons three skeletal servants that fight by your side.
Sea of Thieves isn’t only being given a shipload of new gameplay options in the combat department. Ziplines are being added to islands like The Glorious Sea Dog and Plunder Valley to aid traversal. Easily our favorite addition, though, is harpoon walking. From Season 12, you’ll be able to board enemy ships by tightrope, undertaking a careful balancing minigame as you shimmy across. Of course, we still prefer being shot out of cannons to make a grand entrance, but it’s a cool, and far more accurate method of boarding nonetheless.
While you’re waiting patiently for the Renown-boosting Sea of Thieves Gold and Glory weekend, be sure to check out more news on the best PS5 games and best Xbox games. For example, peep the Elden Ring player that’s conquered Malenia with Morse code, or take a look at the new Mortal Kombat 1 Twitch drops that are arriving soon.