Sea of Thieves didn’t enjoy the greatest critical reception when it launched back in 2016, owing to a lack of content and what generally felt like a barebones experience. But the foundations of a great game were certainly there, after years of post-launch support from developer Rare, Sea of Thieves is a different and entirely more robust package.
That, in combination with its inclusion in Xbox’s Game Pass program, has seen player numbers steadily rise, but following the A Pirate’s Life update in June, the numbers have exploded. Today, Rare is celebrating a record-breaking month in which 4.8 million active players were adventuring their way across Sea of Thieves.
The cause for celebration has prompted a special message of thanks from Sea of Thieves’ creative director Mike Chapman, which you can check out below.
If you aren’t up to speed with the (free) A Pirate’s Life update, it is an original story that brings Captain Jack Sparrow and crew sailing in from beyond the horizon in five narrative-driven Tall Tales is available to play now as part of Sea of Thieves’ Season Three update. You can check out a video trailer that introduces its key themes here.
Sea of Thieves is available to play exclusively on Xbox and PC platforms. It is available via Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.