Besides Sea of Thieves, there is a significant lack of AAA pirate-themed video games on the market. Some noteworthy pirate titles came out years ago, and the next AAA pirate themed game seems a ways off as Ubisoft has revealed little about Skull and Bones. The golden age of piracy is a fascinating time that has been explored in different franchises like Pirates of the Caribbean and Assassin's Creed, but the AAA pirate video games are too few and far between. That leaves a market just waiting to be filled, and there was once a pretty fun MMO that could fill it again.
In 2007, Disney Online released Pirates of the Caribbean Online. It was an MMO set in the world of Pirates of the Caribbean, which was at the height of its popularity. It let players live in Jack Sparrow's world and go on adventures alongside iconic characters. However, the servers were shut down six years after launch and players were left without a pirate MMO to fill the time. There have been some fan revivals since, but the original title has been shuttered for good. In the age of revivals and reboots, maybe Pirates of the Caribbean Online deserves a comeback.
The High Seas of Pirates of the Caribbean Online Were Thrilling
Pirates of the Caribbean Online was never a perfect game, and critics had very mixed things to say about it, but it still amassed a decent fanbase. The story was set a few months after Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and had the player create their own pirate. They got to meet iconic characters like Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swan, and Barbossa as they sailed across the high seas. It was the perfect treat for Pirates of the Caribbean fans, and a decent game for those who wanted to be a pirate.
In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, players were able to traverse both the land and the sea. They were given a ship to control that they could use to sail to various islands on the map. On land, the player would encounter many NPCs and kill many more. They had to fight back against the infamous Jolly Roger and protect the seas from his undead army. They also had to defend against Lord Cutler Beckett as he grew in power.
Combat was the name of the game, and that came in many forms. Players could fight other ships on the high seas, and other players could join their crew to control on-deck cannons. They also had to fight on land with their cutlass and pistol, and they were able to collect loot drops from the enemies they killed. If a player was knocked unconscious then they would wake up in a prison cell and would have to try and escape. As they fought back their enemies and traversed the sea they would gain Notoriety, and that was the game's version of leveling.
Pirates of the Caribbean Online Deserves a Revival
The biggest multiplayer pirate game on the market right now is Sea of Thieves, and that has provided pirate fans with a decent amount of content to play through with their friends. However, the game is very much a sandbox title instead of a story-focused MMO. While some pirate fans may love being able to explore the high seas at their leisure, others may want a more focused pirate title; that is where Pirates of the Caribbean Online comes into play.
Pirates of the Caribbean Online was heavily focused on telling a story in the pirate world. The game was all about players following a pirate-themed story while living their life as a pirate. A brand-new version of the game could continue that, while also injecting a little more freedom into it. The Pirates of the Caribbean crossover with Sea of Thieves was a good example of telling a more focused story while also giving players a little more control over what they want to do, and a revival of the game should follow that model. A throwback to features like the Notoriety system in a new version of the game could be a lot of fun.
It is very unlikely that Disney will consider rebooting Pirates of the Caribbean Online, but it could be a great time. Sea of Thieves seems to have cornered the market on pirate games, and that is not a bad thing. Yet, the industry should still produce more pirate-themed titles and a Pirates of the Caribbean Online revival would be one of the best ways to do it.
Pirates of the Caribbean Online shut down in 2013.