Sea of Thieves has some big shifts on the horizon. Multi ship private servers, a paid custom server system, and a fresh approach to seasonal content are all part of Rare’s roadmap.
The studio laid it all out during its first ever Community Direct livestream, not long after the game’s seventh birthday bash.
Rare Owns Up and Refocuses
During the stream, Rare admitted it “dropped the ball” on game health and story momentum in recent years. They’re trying to get things back on track. That means fixing long standing bugs, finally showing some love to old systems like captaincy, hourglass battles, and guilds, and adding stuff players have been asking for.
Seasons Are Getting a Makeover
Starting with Season 17, each season will run on a clear three month cycle.
- Month One – kicks off with sandbox changes around a specific theme. For Season 17, it’s all about smugglers.
- Month Two – focuses on live events with more replay value. For now, that means a heist style fight over a sea fort that’ll rotate in and out rather than disappear forever.
- Month Three – brings a community call to action where the stakes go up. In Season 17, that means Skeleton Forts go full Reaper. You’ll get new loot, ghost ship invasions mid fight, and more chaotic battles.
Custom Seas Coming Early 2026 (But Not Free)
Custom Seas are Rare’s upcoming premium server option. They’ll let players mess with almost every part of the game. Turn off the Kraken, control storms, spawn loot, go beyond crew limits, and even use Rare’s internal cinematic tools.
It’ll run on a subscription model. Rare says it’s needed to cover dev costs, maintenance, and ongoing updates for these private playgrounds.
Safer Seas Is Expanding
The existing solo only private mode, Safer Seas, is getting an upgrade. Soon, you’ll be able to sail with multiple ships and friends on a private server. Whether that’ll be free or folded into the Custom Seas subscription is still unclear. Microsoft’s been asked for details but nothing confirmed yet.
Insider Program Is Going Full Spoiler Mode
Rare’s Insider program is also getting a revamp. NDAs are being tossed out and players can expect more openness moving forward. That means more spoiler filled previews and better community feedback loops with no more testing in the dark.
Why This All Matters
All of this comes during some messy times over at Microsoft and Xbox. Big layoffs, cancelled projects, and internal shakeups. Rare’s own Everwild project got canned. And not long after, Gregg Mayles, a Rare legend who helped shape Banjo Kazooie and Sea of Thieves, left the studio after 35 years.
So Rare’s clearly going all in on Sea of Thieves. And if they can actually pull this off, the game might finally live up to its full potential. Or at least stop coasting on nostalgia and memes.