Happy 7th Birthday Sea of Thieves!

7 years ago (and a couple of months), I built my first gaming PC and I saw there was a beta for some silly pirate game, so decided to try it out for a bit to test my rig. I had friends still on Xbox, so we could all still play together. After a few hours of the beta, and being enamored with the world that Rare built, I pre-ordered the game. It was a bonus that it was Play Anywhere, so I also had it on my console if the PC switch didn't work out.

Although the map feels much smaller now (I know it like the back of my hand), at that time, the waters felt vast and wild - part of that may have been my thalassophobia. But I loved the tactile nature of the game, the lack of much HUD, the sound design... every creak of the hull and splash of water against it.

Even though the game got flack for lack of content at release, I think most people would have agreed that the foundations of a great game were there - it was still a fun sandbox to adventure in. Rare, to their credit, were very open about development and we had regular videos of Joe and Craig in front of a whiteboard breaking down what they were working on.

They added some key features in that first year - closed crew, brigantines, rowboats, megs, skelly ships, alliances... can you believe we didn't even have wheel, capstan, and cannon customisation at launch?

Since then, we've had so many new features and content updates that the game is barely recognisable from that early incarnation. But while I have some criticisms, one thing has never changed, in my opinion: Sea of Thieves is a game that creates great moments and memories.

My modest 4,000 or so hours may not seem like a lot but it makes Sea of Thieves my most played game ever. Through the highs and lows I have always come back to it - to hear the hull creak, and the water splash again.

So here's to {hopefully} 7+ more years of Sea of Thieves!

Styli