Sea of Thieves has reached a significant milestone with over 40 million players, as disclosed by Rare. This impressive achievement coincided with the completion of the widely popular PlayStation 5 beta for Sea of Thieves.
On March 18, the game celebrated its sixth anniversary since its debut on PC and Xbox. Initially receiving favorable reviews, the pirate-themed live-service game has fostered a robust player community, partly due to its consistent stream of fresh content. The introduction of a PS5 version of Sea of Thieves was announced in February 2024, aligning with Microsoft's strategy of expanding to multiple platforms.
Sea of Thieves Surpasses 40 Million Players on PC and Xbox
Following the conclusion of the PS5 beta, Rare's Executive Producer Joe Neate unveiled that the cooperative action-adventure game has exceeded 40 million players in total. Neate clarified that this count encompasses players on Xbox, Microsoft Store, and Steam, without a breakdown by platform.
With a potential influx of PlayStation users in the future, this number could substantially increase. The recent PS5 beta of Sea of Thieves garnered immense popularity, causing servers to face challenges in keeping up, leading to prolonged matchmaking times. The beta was exclusively available to PS5 owners who pre-ordered the game, further enhancing its success.
The Evolution of Sea of Thieves' Player Base
With strong pre-orders for the PlayStation version even before the closed beta commenced on April 12, Sea of Thieves seems poised to enhance its already impressive player count in the coming days. Despite being in the industry for six years, Rare's cooperative title has consistently attracted new players, averaging 7.5 million additions annually since its second anniversary. Surpassing 5 million new players within a couple of months marks the fastest growth phase for Sea of Thieves since its launch in 2018.
As the game gears up for Season 12 in summer 2024 and the launch of its PS5 edition on April 30, Sea of Thieves stands on a solid trajectory to sustain its momentum in the foreseeable future. The imminent PlayStation release could be a pivotal factor in its short-term outlook, aligning with Microsoft's vision as indicated by Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Spencer emphasized that all Xbox games going multi-platform in 2024 have already reached their peak audience within the Xbox ecosystem.