Yesterday at the Game Awards, Xbox and the developer Rare released a new trailer for Sea of Thieves that revealed its release date. Considering it was previously delayed from a 2017 to a 2018 release, this new date may excite many fans who have been waiting for more information about the game. While it didn’t receive a nomination for the most-anticipated game, it may have been on many gamers’ personal list.

The trailer portrays some at-sea pirating antics, a scene of changing clothes, and an unfortunate series of events for a chicken. Near the end of the trailer, a key image appears in the form of a daunting skull made of smoke looming over a pirate ship and the release date is now confirmed for March 20th, 2018.

In addition to the release date, Rare also announced a pre-order bonus that grants access to the Black Dog pack and the closed beta. Currently, however, the developer Rare hasn’t mentioned a specific date for the closed beta. Regardless, Sea of Thieves seems on course to live up to expectation.

Sea of Thieves’ early 2018 release date is most likely due to the ongoing and trusting relationship between Xbox and Rare. Recently, it was revealed Xbox has such a high level of trust for the developer that Sea of Thieves will be foregoing the mandatory certification process. This news means that Xbox may expect the game to be relatively bug-free and high-quality at launch, which also helps gamers get this title sooner.

With a confirmed release date, the previously-derailed hype train (or, more appropriately, ship) for Sea of Thieves may return to its course for many gamers. Whether gamers are simply excited to take to the seas or to compete in crossplay between PC and Xbox gamers, Sea of Thieves seems to have something for most players in its growing fanbase.

Sea of Thieves will launch on March 20th, 2018 for PC and Xbox One.