Microsoft is celebrating Rare's 40th anniversary with various events and merchandise, including a vinyl soundtrack, Evercade cartridge collection, Sea of Thieves in-game content, and commemorative merchandise, despite recent challenges faced by the studio.
Microsoft is celebrating Rare's 40th anniversary with a limited edition Xbox controller and a Sea of Thieves virtual hat, despite recent setbacks including layoffs and the cancellation of Everwild. Rare continues to focus on Sea of Thieves, planning to expand its content and introduce a paid subscription in early 2026, while the studio's future beyond this game remains uncertain.
A Rare-themed Xbox wireless controller, created in collaboration with 8BitDo to celebrate Rare's 40th anniversary, has leaked online and is available for pre-order on Amazon in the US. The controller features designs inspired by Rare's popular games like Sea of Thieves, Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Pinata, and Donkey Kong Country, and is compatible with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, iOS, and Android.
Sea of Thieves will introduce a paid subscription service in early 2026 that offers features like custom servers and private gameplay options, enhancing player experience. The update also includes new content for Season 17 and a move towards more regular seasonal updates, despite recent studio layoffs and project cancellations.
Rare announced that paid custom servers will be added to Sea of Thieves in early 2026, offering exclusive tools and requiring a monthly fee. The game's season model will also be updated to include three distinct goals over three months, aiming to boost engagement. This comes amid recent layoffs at Rare following the cancellation of the in-development game Everwild, with key veterans like Gregg Mayles and Louise O’Connor leaving the company.
Rare is re-evaluating its development process for Sea of Thieves following the cancellation of Everwild, focusing on improving player feedback, making seasonal updates more coherent with deeper narratives, and restructuring its live service teams. The studio also announced paid custom servers coming in early 2026, indicating a positive outlook for the game's future.
Rare will host its first community direct for Sea of Thieves to discuss upcoming content and features, amid recent layoffs at Microsoft that led to the cancellation of the game Everwild and the departure of key developers, including Gregg Mayles and Louise O’Connor, as part of broader organizational changes at Microsoft.
Gregg Mayles, a key designer at Rare known for titles like Banjo-Kazooie and Sea of Thieves, is leaving the company after over 35 years, coinciding with the cancellation of the game Everwild and significant layoffs at Microsoft, marking a major shift for the historic studio.
Sea of Thieves, developed by Rare, has reached 40 million players across Xbox, Windows 10, and Steam since its 2018 launch, with a PS5 release scheduled for April 30. The game's success marks a turnaround for Rare, and its future includes ongoing development of Everwild. Additionally, Sea of Thieves is part of Microsoft's move to bring its first-party games to non-Xbox platforms, with the PS5 version offering performance parity and exclusive features.
Rare's Sea of Thieves has reached 40 million players ahead of its upcoming release on PS5, marking a significant milestone for the pirate-themed co-op multiplayer game. The game, originally released for Xbox One and PC in 2018, has seen continuous support with over a hundred free updates. With the upcoming Season 12 and new additions, such as throwing knives and the Bone Caller, the game aims to further transform its sandbox world. Additionally, Microsoft's plan to bring more first-party games to PlayStation and/or Nintendo Switch includes titles like Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded.
Sea of Thieves' closed beta on PlayStation 5 is a major success, hinting at strong sales for the game's upcoming release on the platform. This follows the disappointment of Ubisoft's Skull and Bones, making Sea of Thieves the second significant pirate game to launch on PS5 this year. With the game's unique pirate-crew experience and engaging mechanics, the high volume of players in the beta suggests a promising future for the game on the new platform, despite initial Xbox exclusivity.
Sea of Thieves, making its debut on PS5, will feature a whopping 254 Trophies, including a base set of 60 and an additional 194 trinkets to collect. The Trophies range from progression-based to situational challenges, reflecting the game's sandbox nature. Players can expect to engage in various pirate activities, such as sailing feats, combat actions, and treasure hunting. The game sets sail on PS5 from 30th April, offering an extensive Trophy list for avid collectors to pursue.
Sea of Thieves has surged to the top of PlayStation 5 digital pre-order charts in the US and UK, with its Premium Edition leading the pack and the Standard Edition also ranking high. This marks a significant achievement for the Xbox exclusive as it prepares to expand to other consoles, including the PS5, with cross-play support set to enable interaction between players on different platforms.
Xbox exclusive Sea of Thieves is making waves on the PS5 pre-order charts, indicating a smooth transition to PlayStation. With crossplay enabled, the port is expected to have a positive impact on PC and Xbox players as well. Microsoft's potential plans to convert more titles to PlayStation, such as Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite, could further shake up the gaming landscape.
Sea of Thieves, the popular pirate adventure game, has become the "best-selling" pre-order on PlayStation 5, surpassing titles like Star Wars and Dragon's Dogma 2. Despite being almost six years old, the game's upcoming release on PS5 has generated significant excitement among PlayStation owners. Its availability on Xbox and PC Game Pass, along with the implementation of full crossplay between Xbox, PC, and PlayStation, is seen as a positive development for the game's playerbase.