The 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase offered viewers a look at some long-awaited titles, both major releases like Arkane's Redfall and Bethesda's Starfield, as well as third-party surprises like Team Cherry's Hollow Knight: Silksong. Some glaring omissions included Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed and Rare's Everwild, though the latter developer did make an appearance with its pirate simulator Sea of Thieves.
A seasonal battle pass model for Sea of Thieves was announced in December 2020, with Season 1 kicking off on January 28, 2021. Sea of Thieves' Season 6 introduced Sea Forts this March, as well as more cosmetic sets. Season 7 continues the trend with a "Captaincy" feature that will let players customize and name their ships with multiple presets. While this next batch of content doesn't launch until July 21, it could spell bigger things for Sea of Thieves going forward.
What Sea of Thieves Season 7 Will Include
As is common for the British developer, Rare designed its Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase trailer to be a musical number chronicling what players can expect from Sea of Thieves' Captancy update in Season 7. Those who become captains will be able to customize their vessel's cabin with collectibles gathered from various adventures, as well as name the ship (within safe-for-work parameters). The trailer promises that captains can "choose your path" with footage of characters taking on various activities, from fishing to doing battle with a dozen cannons.
Players can save ship loadouts to use at will, and there will be "a whole host of new progression rewards" to help expand the game's customization options. Another big addition highlighted in the Season 7 trailer is "cash-in points" where players can easily sell their loot without having to return to a particular port. Fans can also expect a Glory & Gold Weekend starting June 17 to celebrate Sea of Thieves' 30 million player milestone, according to an official blog post. This event will offer double gold and reputation payouts, as well as boosted Renown, which should get players ready for the limited-time "The Forsaken Hunter" Adventure and updates with "further improvements and fixes" through the end of June.
How Season 7's Captaincy Could Lead to More
Sea of Thieves Season 7 is clearly well-themed for the time of its release: celebrating a player milestone in the four-year-old title by giving fans the freedom to really take command of their adventures. Surface-level benefits to Captaincy are clear, as Rare can better embrace its ethos that "everyone is welcome in this game" with more customization options. Being able to outfit a ship's cabin and name the vessel also adds to roleplaying opportunities, as a captain can swap their ship's look and name depending on the current goal - or what kind of crew is embarking together.
A previously released roadmap for Sea of Thieves' 2022 updates suggests Season 8 will launch in September with "expanded role play and quest types," followed by Season 9 in December with "new social options for crews." While the game will undoubtedly continue receiving new swashbuckling content, or more crossovers like the Sea of Thieves/Pirates of the Caribbean collab, these seasonal themes suggest Rare's main goal is to give players more tools to interact and tell organic stories.
With Season 7's Captaincy update providing a baseline, expanded roleplay could include additional jobs aboard one's vessel. Perhaps a captain could have pre-set allies who take on janitorial or combative roles depending on how they prefer to play, leading to boosted abilities for bailing water from a ship or loading cannons. Each member of a ship could even receive their own quarters to customize, whether they're as big as a captain's quarters or not.
Little information has been released about cash-in points coming to Season 7, but the general idea could be expanded through new questlines that let players build out their own ports or cities. It might not be feasible to let Sea of Thieves' 30 million players all independently build their own landlocked settlements, but it's one avenue Rare could venture down if it needs more time to finish projects like Everwild.
Sea of Thieves is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Season 7 launches July 21, 2022.