Xbox and Rare have pulled back the curtain on the latest free update for Sea of Thieves, as well as provided the first look at a brand-new IP known as Everwild. There was a lot of excitement building up to X019, a show that Microsoft promised would deliver a number of fantastic announcements for fans. While gamers weren't entirely sure what to expect outside of rumors indicating a few new Xbox games, the platform manufacturer had a lot announce during the London-based showcase. One of the biggest reveals from Xbox Game Studios came from none other than Rare Ltd..
It seemed likely that Rare was always going to show up in a meaningful way given that the Twycross, England-based developer was hosting X019 in its own backyard. Of course, the studio currently has the aforementioned Sea of Thieves as well as Battletoads in active development. While gamers had hoped that maybe a return of Banjo-Kazooie was in the cards after an appearance in Smash Bros. Ultimate, fans were treated to something new from the developer.
The game in question has officially been dubbed Everwild, and it sounds like it'll be something wholly unique–albeit still a ways off. Rare's second internal team behind the project is being lead by Executive Producer Louise O'Connor, but details outside of that are slim. What was confirmed is that Everwild will be a wonderful, magical adventure that creates memories that others can share. If that doesn't sound like a multiplayer game of some sort, it's unclear what other veiled descriptors are necessary to be able to communicate that.
On top of the big reveal, Rare's Sea of Thieves is officially getting its new 'Seabound Soul' update on November 20th. The update will add a new Tall Tale story mission based around an epic pirate ship known as the Ashen Dragon. Sticking with the themes the ship's monicker provides, the update will also add Firebombs into the mix. These can be thrown or fired out of cannons, which makes them an, ironically, cool addition to the madness that is Sea of Thieves. Of course, this update also adds a number of new cosemetic items into the paid storefront, the Pirate Emporium.
Rare wanted to assure fans that, despite working on a new IP, it is remaining committed to supporting Sea of Thieves in the longterm. How long is that? Rare studio head Craig Duncan has indicated that the pirate game will recieve support and additions for years to come. As an ongoing iniative fueled by Xbox Game Pass, maintaining the live-service approach to Sea of Thieves is a stroke of brilliance that should lead to great things in the build up to the release of Xbox's Project Scarlett in Holiday 2020.
Sea of Thieves is currently available on PC and Xbox One. Everwild is currently without a release date.