A release date has finally been given for Sea of Thieves‘ upcoming first season and it will be here soon. Last year, developer Rare made the announcement that its action-adventure pirate game would be discontinuing monthly updates in favor of three-month seasons for 2021.
Sea of Thieves came out in 2018 and got off to a shaky start. The game received mixed reviews with many detractors pointing to the lack of content available at the time. Rare, however, viewed Sea of Thieves as a “game as a service,” and subsequently added much more content in the following months. Eventually the game turned into a massive success with millions of players and now, nearly three years after its initial release and only a few months after coming to Xbox Series X and S, Rare is continuing its “game as a service” policy with the new inclusion of seasons.
Rare took to Twitter earlier today to announce that the first season for Sea of Thieves will kick off in just one week on January 28. The new season will last three months and bring a variety of updates and new in-game items. Player progression will tie into a wide variety of season specific activities, both free and part of the premium pass. Few details exist, however, about what those activities will be as well as what will be included within the season in general.
The majority of fan reactions to the announcement were overwhelmingly positive, but some voiced their concerns about the lack of information revolving around season one. There is only one week to go before it launches and Rare has still not divulged specific information. When compared to other games that rely on seasons, this may seem to be unconventional. Treyarch, for example, usually releases detailed announcements for Call of Duty well before a season drops in order to drum up excitement for what is coming.
The lack of communication this close to launch may be a bit concerning for Sea of Thieves players. Rare is taking the game in a new direction, yet it is not sharing any of the specifics. This in particular may be a bit of a turn off for players who are considering purchasing the battle pass. Players may not be so willing to spend more money if they are not made aware of what they will be getting with their purchase. It will be interesting to see how Sea of Thieves will separate itself from other season focused games.
Sea of Thieves is available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
