Sea of Thieves is getting a Battle Pass in January

As the game introduces seasons, we'll see the introduction of a new free and paid progression system...Oh! And the Arena is being left behind.

We're closing in on Sea of Thieves' third anniversary, but that doesn't mean that the pirate life has vanished in the shadows of new game releases. Not only has Rare now announced that more than 11 million players have been scallywagging in the game this year, but also that some interesting changes await in 2021.

In the latest video update, the Brits reveal that Sea of Thieves will introduce seasons this January. These will last approximately three months each, and start by introducing new kinds of experiences, systems and ways to play. The first one will be a new Merchant Alliance Voyage where we'll basically be detectives looking for clues as to where a mysterious shipwreck filled with goodies is. Not that you'll stay unrewarded before you potentially find this ship, as seasons also bring a Battle Pass-sounding system along with them.

There will be two versions of this "new seasonal progression system" (don't worry, the old one will still be there as well). The free one consists of a hundred levels of Pirate Renown filled with new cosmetics for both your pirate and ship, as well as exclusive stuff for Pirate Legends. Meanwhile, the yet to be priced premium version is called Plunder Pass, and will offer unique rewards and exclusive Pirate Emporium stuff.

Alongside all of this, we'll continue to see smaller updates throughout each season with special featured live events, quality of life changes, new additions to the Pirate Emporium and other nice things we've come to expect from the talented studio. More detailed information about all of this will arrive in January, but there are exciting things waiting closer on the horizon.

A new update is set to arrive on December 9, and this will launch this year's Festival of Giving where a whole bunch of live events await, including Gilded Voyages, so I doubt the seas will get time to freeze over anytime soon.

One thing that might freeze though is the game's Arena mode. Joe Neate, the game's executive producer, says that an astounding 97 percent of the total playtime is spent in Adventure, so they've decided to stop updating and evolving Arena to focus on the former instead. Arena will still be a part of the game for the foreseeable future, but the days of new features and other stuff that aren't just basic maintenance will now walk the plank (had to include one of these. Sorry.)

How do you like the sound of seasons and a Battle Pass?