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Sea of Thieves Microtransactions

News of microtransactions in Sea of Thieves has been making its way around the internet over the past 24 hours. Here's what we know:

  • Early focus post-launch is on a great gameplay experience
  • First major patch will deliver the optional ability to spend money
  • Purchases will be cosmetic only
  • Currency will be acquirable through in-game play
  • There will never be loot boxes

Having played Sea of Thieves for quite some time, and following the developers logs and releases, I'm comfortable with this for a few reasons.

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First, there's no such thing as item stats or itemized progression in Sea of Thieves. You'll never get a sword that swings any faster or hits any harder than the basic sword you start with the first time you log in. No cannons or muskets will ever kill faster. This isn't a game about itemization.

I have no problem at all with an implementation of microtransactions if it follows this format. If I want to look like a specific kind of pirate or alter my appearance, I have the option to buy the skins or save up for them with in-game currency. To me that's no different at all from a game like Overwatch.

Whether it's a monkey on my shoulder, a glowing ghostly-like aura, or kittens shooting from my cannons, the entire thing seems appropriate and in-line with how Sea of Thieves has been developed from the beginning. As a one-time-buy game that probably won't hold a massive player population for an extended period of time (though I think they'll comfortably maintain a good sized one for some time), this model is probably the best way for them to go. I look forward to having a monkey on my shoulder.

  • Given today’s news that you will have no control over what your character looks like, the idea of them funding the game on cosmetics seems a tad ironic. Not to say utterly ludicrous.

    • It fits with the ‘jump-in-jump-out’ and complete lack of permanence.

      It’s off-putting at first, just like the concept of destroying your ship and instantly getting another. Everything is about acting like a pirate, not growing and developing as one.

  • For better or worse I would be more surprised if a major launch in 2018 did not have microtransactions. Given the range of monetization models out there this seems fairly benign.