Sea of Thieves developer Rare has broadcast a frank and revealing hour-long dialogue about the future of its long-running pirate live-service recreation, only a week after the studio was hit by layoffs and the cancellation of its long-gestating subsequent challenge, Everwild.
There was no point out of the layoffs in immediately’s Sea of Thieves Community Direct broadcast, which as a substitute centered squarely on Rare’s plans for Sea of Thieves.
These plans embody a revamped method to new seasons, the launch of subscription-funded customized servers, and element on how the studio will enhance the recreation’s general well being and efficiency. General, the message right here was that Rare was dedicated to Sea of Thieves for the forseeable future — with a point out at one level of the staff serious about the subsequent “5 years.”
On the subject of the recreation’s general well being and efficiency, manufacturing director Drew Stevens shared a frank appraisal of how Rare had beforehand struggled to make sure the high quality of new options.
“We have felt like we’re all the time on the again foot,” Stevens stated. “With lots of areas, we felt we’re a bit bit sluggish to react. We do not have the needed useful resource or staff construction to permit us to leap straight again and to begin to deal with some of these issues that we’re seeing, whether or not it is round high quality management and transport options at a spot that we’re simply not fairly proud of, to recreation efficiency, like slowly being in a spot the place we’re including new options to the recreation however efficiency over time is degrading, by means of to recreation safety.
“I really feel like we have been too sluggish to react as dishonest began to construct in the PC neighborhood, and there is a couple of areas round that — even simply long-standing bugs, and our capacity to go and deal with that stuff alongside options,” Stevens continued.
“I feel if I summarise it, it’s that nearly… we’re on the again foot and I need to get us into a spot the place we have groups in place, we have constructions in place, we are able to simply be a bit extra reactive and then get into a spot the place we’re proactive,” Stevens concluded. “[Where] we’re really transport options and we’re figuring out the efficiency of them so we really feel extra snug as a staff once we’re transport updates.”
Seeking to the future, artistic director Mike Chapman stated Rare’s staff would focus on being extra in line with new content material, whereas concurrently making certain that current options weren’t ignored.
Sea of Thieves’ staff devoted to recreation well being was rising, Chapman stated, and had now been cut up to make sure there have been devoted employees working on the high quality of new options, whereas others have been centered on enhancing longer-term points.
Season 17, the recreation’s subsequent huge replace, will debut a brand new three-month mannequin for brand new content material. This may start with an preliminary month of additions primarily designed to refresh the recreation’s sandbox, earlier than its second month focuses on increasing the recreation’s dwell occasions. The season’s last month will then function a ‘name to motion’ to deliver gamers again for an enormous world occasion.
The subsequent season, which has a smuggling focus, will see the arrival of new hideouts, Smugglers’ Runs transport routes, plus contemporary smuggler cargo in shipwrecks and skeleton ships. The Reaper’s Rowboat additionally returns – and all of this may are available the season’s first month, as half of that need by Rare to reinvigorate the recreation’s sandbox.
Month two’s dwell occasion focus will provide up a heist expertise at Royal Crest Fortress, earlier than the season concludes with contemporary happenings at Skeleton Forts, now with a Reaper focus because of the return of Captain Flameheart, and the have to each assault and defend the areas.
This three-month season mannequin will persist, Rare stated, and would assist guarantee seasons keep contemporary all through slightly than merely providing one huge drop of content material at the starting.
Trying forward, Rare teased that Season 18 will replace the Satan’s Roar space and decide up the story of the mysterious Darkish Ancients. Followers will encounter the faction as threats and uncover hidden shrines.
The final huge announcement immediately was saved for Custom Seas, Sea of Thieves’ plans for customized servers with “switches and toggles” so gamers can absolutely curate their expertise. Footage of this confirmed a consumer spawning ships, overruling crew limits, setting climate circumstances and even toggling the kraken.
One other addition right here will likely be the capacity to function a cinematic digital camera, which will likely be useful for budding pirate film-makers. Custom Seas will debut in “early 2026,” Rare stated, and would require a subscription in order that work on the characteristic could be funded and proceed long-term.
Different particulars talked about immediately embody a choice to elevate the NDA hooked up to Sea of Thieves’ early entry Insider Program, which means members will quickly be capable of overtly talk about and even stream work-in-progress options.
There was point out, too, of a mysterious Sea of Thieves sub-team of builders working on long-term oppurtunities for the recreation, described as a “multi-year imaginative and prescient” to develop the general scope of the title outdoors of seasonal updates. Extra element on that can are available the subsequent Neighborhood Direct, Rare stated, which is able to arrive on a roughly six-monthly schedule. Mark your calendars for early 2026 for extra.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You possibly can attain Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social