Sea Of Thieves
News, coverage and analysis tracking Sea Of Thieves across the outlets.
Xbox Future Revealed: Problems, Game Pass & Big Changes | Invision Game CommunityMicrosoft has acknowledged significant problems with the Xbox platform, including rising prices, weak features, and slow updates. The company is initiating a major overhaul to transform Xbox into a global gaming platform accessible on any device via cloud gaming and is reassessing its Game Pass strategy and exclusivity policies.
Xbox leaders lay out new priorities for the company's future, and promise 'flexible pricing' and a focus on 'daily active players' by prioritizing 'hardware, content, experience, and services'Xbox leaders Asha Sharma and Matt Booty have outlined new priorities focusing on 'daily active players' and a shift back to the 'Xbox' brand name. The company plans to offer 'flexible pricing' for its services and reevaluate its approach to exclusivity, windowing, and AI. This strategic shift aims to build a global platform connecting players and creators, with a strong emphasis on hardware, content, experience, and services.
Xbox Changes Direction With "New North Star" and New PrioritiesXbox has announced a new strategic direction focused on becoming a global platform connecting players and creators, addressing player frustrations with console updates, PC presence, and pricing. The "new north star" for Xbox will be daily active players, with core pillars including hardware, content, experience, and services, aiming to fortify Game Pass with clearer differentiation and sustainable economics.
Xbox will reevaluate exclusivity and target daily active players under new leadershipXbox's new leadership, including president Asha Sharma and chief content officer Matt Booty, are set to reevaluate the company's approach to platform exclusivity, windowing, and AI. The division aims to increase its PC presence, improve console performance, and focus on daily active players as its new north star. Xbox also plans to fortify Xbox Game Pass and pursue strategic mergers and acquisitions to accelerate growth.
'We have to be honest about where we are; we're a challenger' - Xbox bosses share open letter about the futureXbox, formerly Microsoft Gaming, has outlined a new strategy focusing on connecting players and creators globally, with console remaining central but with an emphasis on affordability and flexibility. Key priorities include hardware, content, experience, and services, with a goal to increase daily active players and elevate creator-centric platforms like Minecraft. The company acknowledges its challenger status and aims for pace, energy, and self-critique to drive future success.
Xbox's New Leadership Details Its Strategy in "We are Xbox" Internal Memo as It Retires TheXbox's new leadership, CEO Asha Sharma and CCO Matt Booty, have outlined a new strategy in an internal memo detailing plans to rebuild community trust and redefine Xbox as a platform for play and creation. The memo acknowledges current frustrations with the brand's PC presence, fragmented services, and aims to strengthen hardware, content, experience, and services pillars, including a reevaluation of exclusivity and a focus on Game Pass sustainability.
Xbox will "reevaluate" its approach to exclusive games and AI, new CEO and CCO say "our new north star…Xbox's new leadership, CEO Asha Sharma and CCO Matt Booty, announced a reevaluation of the brand's approach to exclusive games and artificial intelligence. This strategic shift follows recent departures and aims for greater transparency and a focus on core franchises, while also addressing concerns about AI-generated content in game development.
The Ivors Academy launches Ivors Composer Awards, video game music to be among categoriesThe Ivors Academy has launched The Ivors Composer Awards to recognize musical contributions across various media, including video games, film, television, and live performance. The awards, which will be presented annually starting November 17, 2026, aim to broaden recognition for contemporary composition. Eligible works can be submitted from June 1, with winners receiving an Ivor Novello Award.
With Windrose making waves and the Black Flag remake on the horizon, methinks it's a fine time for a pirate quiz,…This article presents a quiz focused on pirate-themed video games, highlighting titles like Windrose and the upcoming Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake. It questions players on their knowledge of various pirate games, including The Secret of Monkey Island, Sid Meier's Pirates!, and Sea of Thieves, while also touching upon the genre's current popularity.
Why Windrose Is So Hard to Put DownWindrose, a pirate-themed game, has sold over 1,000,000 copies since its Early Access release, drawing comparisons to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. The game's success is attributed to its balance of simplicity and complexity, procedural generation, and co-op multiplayer features. While the Early Access build requires further optimization, the game offers a compelling pirate experience.- Live service spel vågar inte sätta punktThe author expresses a personal struggle with the endless nature of live service games, contrasting them with traditional games that have a definitive end. Despite investing hundreds of hours into titles like Phasmophobia, the lack of a conclusive ending leaves them feeling unfulfilled, unlike the emotional impact of finishing a single-player game. They question the business model's focus on perpetual engagement over satisfying conclusions.
- "Wind" i segeln – piratäventyret Windrose säljer 1 miljonThe pirate-themed PvE survivor adventure game Windrose, developed by Kraken Express, has achieved significant success since its PC early access launch on April 14. The game has sold one million copies and reached over 200,000 concurrent players within its first six days. Windrose features land and sea combat, building, crafting, exploration, and soulslike-inspired boss battles.
- MMO Week in Review: Gorgon’s drama, TurtleWoW’s demise, Ashes’ docsThis week in the MMORPG genre saw significant drama and updates across various titles. Ashes of Creation's former boss released legal documents, Project Gorgon faced community backlash over bans, and TurtleWoW announced its closure following a lawsuit. Additionally, Book of Travels is transitioning to a solo offline game, while new content and updates arrived for games like Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and Elder Scrolls Online.
Pirate game Windrose dethrones Steam's survival champion as it sails up the chartsThe pirate survival game Windrose, published by Pocketpair and developed by Kraken Express, has achieved significant success on Steam, surpassing long-standing titles like Rust. The game offers a PvE experience with soulslike combat inspiration, extensive building options, and a story involving a 1700s captain challenging Blackbeard. Windrose is currently available in Early Access on PC with up to eight-player co-op support.
Fable’s Development Was Helped by Blizzard’s Cinematics TeamMicrosoft Gaming's chief content officer Matt Booty revealed that Blizzard's cinematics team assisted Playground Games with Fable's development. This collaboration is part of a broader initiative to foster synergy between Xbox Game Studios, with other examples including Compulsion Games using Activision's MoCap studio and Rare helping Double Fine with multiplayer features. Fable is slated for a Fall release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Windrose strikes gold with 500k sales, proving pirate games are as popular as everThe pirate survival game Windrose has achieved 500,000 sales within 48 hours of its Early Access launch, indicating a strong player appetite for the genre. The game has also seen significant concurrent player numbers on Steam and positive reviews, suggesting a solid foundation for future development. This success, alongside mentions of Sea of Thieves and a Black Flag remake, reinforces the enduring popularity of pirate-themed gaming experiences.- Sea of Thieves promises higher-quality updates and unveils ‘experiment’ to inject new life in world eventsDeveloper Rare Ltd. announced a shift in Sea of Thieves' update strategy, moving away from a three-act seasonal rollout to focus on improving game health and introducing custom server tools. Season 20 will experiment with world events, removing Raid voyages in favor of more rewarding open-world encounters to make the game feel more alive.
Pirate survival Windrose sees 500,000 mateys buy the game as Steam reviews are 'Mostly Positive'The pirate survival game Windrose has sold over 500,000 copies within its first two days of release, achieving a 'Mostly Positive' review score of 87% on Steam. The game also reached nearly 100,000 concurrent players in its first 24 hours. Developer Kraken Express is reportedly seeking an ISP to improve the game's connectivity.
Blizzard is assisting with Fable's cinematics, while the Sea of Thieves team is lending its expertise to quirky pottery brawler KilnXbox's studios are collaborating on various projects, with Blizzard assisting Playground Games with Fable's cinematics and Rare lending multiplayer expertise to Double Fine's Kiln. This cross-studio support aims to leverage unique strengths without compromising individual studio cultures, as explained by Xbox's chief content officer Matt Booty.
One Key Part Of Fable Is Getting Outside HelpBlizzard Entertainment's cinematic team is assisting Playground Games with the cinematics for the upcoming Fable reboot. Microsoft's chief content officer Matt Booty highlighted this collaboration as an example of internal studio synergy. The Fable reboot is slated for release this fall, with recent speculation suggesting a potential delay to 2027 to avoid launching alongside Grand Theft Auto 6.