Rare hosted a Community Direct today to talk about all things gaming, and much of that talk was centered around Sea of Thieves. The 2018 title has remained a fan favourite over the years, offering players the opportunity to explore a vast sandbox world as a pirate, doing battle with other players, seeking valuable treasures, and solving puzzles.
In 2026, Rare will be deploying ‘Custom Seas’, an enormous overhaul that will allow users to host paid-for custom servers that boast unparalleled choices and tweaks.
‘A Rich Sandbox’
In today’s Community Direct for Rare, the team explained why Custom Seas is coming:
Just the ways that players express that creativity. Sea of Thieves is such a rich sandbox, but it can be very difficult… It’s quite a high bar, high barrier to entry for people to be able to express that creativity. It’s such a lovely sandbox of ingredients, so just bringing that to more people, it’s just rich for that creativity and that expression.
And just fun… Just going in and having fun with your friends, it feels very right for Sea of Thieves and it’s something that we’ve wanted to do for a really long time.
The team revealed that Custom Seas is backed by insane server development technology that allows them to manipulate the world as they see fit.
Players can alter the weather and enemy behaviour, and tweak crew limitations (you can have 16 people on a SLOOP!). They can spawn items where and when they need them, and that includes everything from treasure and enemies to ships and props.
There will also be features that allow players to pose and position their characters for better photomode opportunities.
Here’s the full Community Direct:
It was then explained:
The power of putting this into players’ hands… This is as approachable as possible, it’s an incredible, powerful toolkit, but it’s really approachable for players to get to grips with. I think the most inspiring thing is that Sea of Thieves has always been about stories, it’s about generating stories in this incredible pirate sandbox.
It’s like us handing the keys over to our players, the world is yours now.
Are you looking forward to the Custom Seas update dropping in Sea of Thieves? Let me know on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that the Marvel Rivals Season 3 roadmap has been revealed
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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