When Rare announced that a free update to its first-party Microsoft title Sea of Thieves would be adding cats as potential traveling companions in fancy pirate attire, feline fans rejoiced at the opportunity to see the animals involved in their swashbuckling adventures. However, what many players did not realize until recently was that those cats did not just use canned sound effects.
Rare revealed via Twitter that two real cats belonging to the development studio's Composer and Music Director Robin Beanland actually voiced these new animals added into Sea of Thieves. The studio uploaded a number of photos to the social media site showcasing the "gorgeous grimalkins," Beans and Heeb, not-so-willingly utilizing audio recording devices until being bribed with some manner of "fishy treats" and "snoot boops."
While cats in fancy, customizable costumes are arguably the flashiest, social media-worthy addition to the Sea of Thieves: Ships of Fortune update that was pushed out on April 22, plenty more was implemented into the game alongside them. Rare also added in a new emissary system that allows players to join factions like the Gold Hoarders or Merchant's Guild, as well as updates to PvP elements in the online multiplayer game.
Though Sea of Thieves had a somewhat lackluster launch in 2018 after being announced at E3 2015, its long-beloved development studio has put in plenty of work to update the experience for its dedicated fans. Microsoft recently announced that the game will be coming to Steam in the near future, and that version will be cross-compatible with other versions of the game on Windows and Xbox One.
The long lifespan for Sea of Thieves has made it one of the most successful new IPs for Xbox in the current generation of consoles. At the beginning of the year Microsoft confirmed that the game has been played by over 10 million players across eighty different countries, and Rare Executive Producer Joe Neate said, "The Sea of Thieves community represents the very best of what gaming can be."
Many of Rare's games have achieved similar cult statuses, particularly titles the developer released before it was acquired by Microsoft. The main one that comes to mind is Banjo-Kazooie, now represented in Super Smash Bros., and while it's unlikely Sea of Thieves' cats will hit the same level of fame, it is neat to get a behind-the-scenes look at how Rare continues to make its games more personal experiences.
Sea of Thieves is currently available on PC and Xbox One.