The Xbox-published title that aims to simulate life on the high seas has sailed past another milestone and is giving away a special gift to mark the occasion. Sea of Thieves has sold five million copies on Steam, and it’s heading into the holiday season full of festive cheer, as well as a little bit of a pirate’s favorite beverage. If you want to join in, the developers at Rare suggest you play the game now through the middle of next week to snap up a special emote. The team announced this achievement on the game’s official blog, along with the news that over 25 million players have dived into Sea of Thieves to hunt down treasure, explore the oceans, and live out the life of a scallywag with their friends.
In reaction to the horde of new pirates picking up the game, Rare penned a thank you post. It reads in part:
With Sea of Thieves being our first game developed in-house for PC as well as Xbox, we’re absolutely delighted to see such a huge influx of new pirates starting their adventures since the game made it to Steam in June last year. No matter which platform you play Sea of Thieves on, it would never have had this success without the support of you, the players – so all we can say is thank you!
While Sea of Thieves is currently basking in the glow of its current fortune, it’s strange to remember that the ambitious game didn’t shine so brightly at launch. The game released in 2018 and received a mixed reception, with our initial review of Sea of Thieves stating the game concept was sound, but the experience was a little bare bones. This first lukewarm impression seemed to spell doom for the game, but the developers stuck with the title. Eventually, content like A Pirates Life expansion, which introduced a brilliant crossover between Sea of Thieves and Pirates of the Caribbean, attracted players back to the swashbuckling adventure.
The resulting boost has turned the title into a wonderful cooperative experience to share with friends, earning it a spot on our list of the 10 best co-op games to play right now. It’s possible Rare hopes the game’s impressive sales numbers will swell as players look for games to share over the holidays, prompting a holiday offer. If you log in between now and Dec 29, you’ll get a complimentary emote titled All Together Now!