A highly anticipated feature is finally arriving in Sea of Thieves, although players will need to pay a fee to access it. Custom servers, along with additional unannounced advantages, will be part of a new subscription service launching for Rare`s live-service pirate game in early 2026. Developers at Rare revealed this during a Community Direct video stream on Wednesday.
Sea of Thieves features unpredictable encounters with both computer-controlled foes and other players, interactions that can often become hostile. With custom servers, players can establish their own `private customizable sandbox` and modify settings such as loot availability and enemy spawns. These private servers will also support `Safer Seas Fleets,` enabling players to invite friends and play without interference from random aggressive players. Rare has not yet disclosed the price of this upcoming subscription.
Rare was among the many development studios impacted by widespread layoffs at Microsoft, which also resulted in the cancellation of their project Everwild. Gregg Mayles, a long-standing veteran of the company who served as creative director for both Sea of Thieves and Everwild, reportedly left Rare following the latter`s cancellation.
The nearly hour-long Community Direct broadcast did not address the recent layoffs, the fate of Everwild, or Mayles` departure. Instead, the stream featured five members of the Sea of Thieves team discussing the current health of the online game and detailing content updates scheduled for the coming months.
Rare also touched upon the previously announced Season 17, which will introduce a new faction called The Smugglers` League and bring more treasure to the game`s open world. The seasonal update structure will transition to a more monthly cadence, rolling out new content and events each month rather than releasing everything at the season`s debut.
Specifically for Season 17, the first month will officially introduce The Smugglers` League, the second month will feature a live `heist` event, and the third month will refresh the Skeleton Forts scattered across the map. The developers also briefly teased Season 18, indicating it will focus on the dangerous Devil`s Roar region of the game world.
In a move likely to excite dedicated fans, Rare is removing the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) requirement for the game`s Insider Programme. This program provides participants with early access builds showcasing upcoming updates to Sea of Thieves. The developers described this action as a `first step` towards fostering more open dialogue with the game`s community.
Although Rare has faced challenging times recently, the studio appears committed to assuring Sea of Thieves players that the game remains vibrant and is expected to continue for many years to come.