Sea of Thieves is still in the throes of its sixteenth season, but that isn’t stopping Rare Ltd. from opening its spyglass and giving players a peek at what’s on the horizon in a few months’ time, as the piratical sandbox has taken the wraps off of Season 17: Smugglers’ Tide. And as you might have guessed, there is smuggling involved.
Specifically, the new season will bring the new Smuggler’s League faction to the game, along with their respective voyages that appear to task players with all kinds of illegal contraband shipping, from guns to rum to highly explosive barrels, either by finding them or potentially stealing them from other players, which means this could once more be content available only in the FFA PvP Open Seas mode. We point out that this is all speculative: The announcement trailer crafted for the Xbox Games Showcase is purely cinematic, without a mote of actual gameplay or hard details on offer.
Reaction to the new season has been mostly one of disappointment. Replies to the trailer on YouTube and Twitter expressed surprise that Rare is already talking about its next season so soon, dismay at the fact that no new Tall Tales appear to be coming down the pike, and presumptions that the new factional voyages will be nothing more than reskinned mercantile missions. “You guys seem to be forfeiting the amazing lore you’ve built to add new items to make funny moments for streamers,” grumbled one such reply.
There is still plenty of time between now and August, which is when Season 17 is set to debut, so there promises to be more actual information coming forth in the intervening weeks. For now, that cinematic peek awaits below.
