Blogs
on April 11, 2026
The most important element to call out in terms of our general approach to combat is that Sea of Thieves is a game with guns and swords in it, but it’s not a game all about guns and swords. We want Sea of Thieves to support different motivations and playstyles, but when combat does occur, it should feel right for the pirate experience we’re creating, while fully supporting the kinds of emergent encounters that can occur while out on a voy
When you think about pirate encounters from books or movies, you tend to think of dynamic encounters in which the crews start by selecting the right tool for the job, but then change their weaponry as the situation changes. We think about this scenario our game using the example of two ships meeting on the sea. In this example, the first thing that is likely to happen is for seaofthievespedia.com cannon balls to be exchanged when the ships come into range. Depending on how the crews decide to position the ships, this may lead to the ships getting close enough for players to use personal arms, such as flintlock pistols and the blunderbuss. With our approach to aim down sights, you’d see the some of the rival crew taking aim with their guns as the crews exchange shots between decks, while some players still continue to fire with the cannons. Following this, in the event of one of the crews boarding the other ship, they might then get the opportunity to get a single shot off while standing on the enemy deck, before then being forced into a reload…which is where swords come
Unfortunately, we all know that didn't happen. While some other titles got their time in the remake spotlight, including an exciting new 3DS game in Metroid: Samus Returns , there was no mention of Nintendo's generational fighting IP. That could be due in part to the surprising success of ARMS , a game that initially existed as an afterthought in the Switch's early launch lineup previews thanks to Breath of the Wild but has quickly gained steam as a viable new IP in its own right. Still, though, would it have been so hard to just throw together a teaser for 2
"When we talk about visual effects in games, we normally mean particles. That's what we're using to create all of the cannon effects for example, like the different explosions. You want to give the player strong feelings when they're playing the game... You should just feel like you're really part of this beautiful wor
Logan: To maybe explain a bit more about what our mission was, we started off with a treasure map in our possession that clued us in to an island that we should travel to. After consulting our sea chart in the lower deck of our ship, we set sail in the direction of our supposed treasure. And that’s when we hit the r
Rare's Short Haul trailers are just one way the developer is continuing to communicate with its audience, whether they're excited for Sea of Thieves or not. There are several other short video series that are ongoing, like the Inn-side Stories series or one-offs created for special events, like Talk Like a Pirate Day. Perhaps this extensive amount of developer-to-player communication is another strategy to help bring players closer to the experience that Sea of Thieves will provide . Perhaps in knowing Rare, players will better know their ga
Logan: That was honestly one of the funniest parts of this demo to me. Throwing your crewmates into a cannon and shooting them either onto an enemy ship or onto land is a nice little Rare-like touch to _ Sea of Thieves _ . Of course, because I was the one launching everyone out of the cannons, that meant that I had to swim to the island by mys
This isn't commentary on the fact that Skull & Bones has all the potential in the world to muscle in on Sea of Thieves ' territory, either. We went hands on with Rare's upcoming multiplayer pirate experience and came away wanting more, both in terms of gameplay (because it was good) and features (because it seemed largely the same). Sea of Thieves is still a good game, and there's some enjoyment to be had within its colorful pirate world, but it feels like it hasn't evolved since the last time we saw it, and that's cause for some disappointm
Previous episodes in Sea of Thieves ' Short Haul trailer series include " Creating Clouds ," " Aboard the Ship ," and " Instruments ." Each explores an example of how Sea of Thieves tries to bring the player closer to the world in which they're playing. Instruments talks about how players can add their own soundtrack within the game through gameplay, but how it's also influenced by social aspects of the game . Creating Clouds shows how Sea of Thieves is using an ever-present object in virtually every game -- clouds -- in a new way to add depth to the experience. It's unexplored territory, which pirates would appreci
Microsoft has officially announced that Rare's multiplayer pirate action game Sea of Thieves will feature cross-play between Xbox One and PC. The announcement came during today's Xbox Gamescom livestream, which included some new trailers, a few announcements, and concluded with the launch of Xbox One X pre-orders. But cross-play for Sea of Thieves could be the biggest surprise, with the game's closed technical alpha implementing the feature, effective immediat