Releasing on March 20 for Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusively, this pirate, open-world, RPG game brings multiplayer gameplay to a whole new level. Sea of Thieves, developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Studios, has been in the works for more than two and a half years, with development starting around June of 2015.

 On January 24, the closed beta became available to all who preordered the game, and it closed on January 31. Many streamers and YouTubers played this game upon its closed beta release. For the most part, this game got extremely good reviews from the communities watching the gameplay. Though, there were still criticisms of the game for Rare to consider before final release. Many players of the game thought that there was just not enough to do to keep the game in its state of thrilling pirate adventures. However, an opposition players came up with was that the game was solely multiplayer, which meant working with friends to operate a galleon, while going on treasure hunts was plenty enough to keep the game enjoyable.

 Current features of Sea of Thieves consist of vital communication with crews, detailed ship layouts, tons of islands, undead skeletons to fight, sharks, and solo crew capability. There are many features that have been considered by Rare to add. These include purchasable in-game items, ship-enhancements, and pets. Development mentioned that pet monkeys can be picked up and carried around. This also means that other players can pick up and run off with your monkey. It would come back eventually, but just the roleplay factor of committing the act is what they wanted. It is also confirmed that there will be a Kraken, as Sea of Thieves embraces the mythical and romantic side of piracy instead of realism. Senior Liam Smith said, “Sea of Thieves is a game that is enjoyable to both watch and play. I am also glad that it does not focus too much on realism because it would not be as fun.”

 According to Rare, there will definitely not be any loot-boxes or pay-to-win items for the game. This is something that many players are excited for because when assets require real money as opposed to in-game money, there is much less drive to actually complete objectives. While there are criticisms, many people think these would only truly apply to a more single player-based game.