Sea of Thieves is Taking One Page Out of Minecraft's Book…

Sea of Thieves recently showcased a big update coming to the pirate-focused sandbox adventure next year. Custom Seas, an in-development custom server system, will launch for Sea of Thieves early next year. Although developer Rare hasn't revealed an official release date, Custom Seas is an exciting feature waiting on the horizon.

Custom Seas is an intriguing idea, but it's not the first of its kind. For longtime sandbox fans, Custom Seas may sound an awful lot like Realms in Minecraft. Realms is a subscription-based system that can streamline the experience of hosting one's own server. During the recent Sea of Thieves Community Direct stream, developers ended the broadcast with the announcement of Custom Seas. In addition to opening the door for exclusive servers, Custom Seas is really embracing player freedom, as the system will allow a variety of customization options. This is a great start, but it could take even more inspiration from Minecraft Realms.

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By LB Beistad

Minecraft Realms Can Influence Sea of Thieves' Custom Servers in More Ways Than One

Everything Confirmed for Custom Seas, So Far

Commands to toggle custom features.
Enemies, items, weather, and larger threats like the Kraken are a few of the things that can be customized.
Support of Safer Seas mode

Right now, the release date isn't the only big mystery surrounding Custom Seas. Rare has yet to announce how much these servers will cost, which could really be the deciding factor in how excited players get. Sea of Thieves is all about exploration, and getting the chance to do so with friends on one's own customizable server might prove to be a game-changer for a lot of players. However, if the subscription service is too expensive, it may take the wind out of Custom Seas' sails.

Minecraft Realms Offers Three Subscription Options

Option	Cost
Realms Bedrock Edition	$3.99 USD per month (supports 2 other players)
Realms Plus Bedrock Edition	$7.99 USD per month (supports 10 players at a time)
Realms Java Edition	$7.99 USD per month (only available for Windows, macOS, and Linux)

There's no way to know what the payment system will be like yet, but Sea Thieves using Minecraft Realms as a blueprint for its pricing may be the best path forward. Two price tiers could be a good way to offer more variety to players. Not every fan is going to want a server that hosts players in the double digits, so those who prefer playing with just one or two friends will hopefully get a cheaper tier. Since Sea of Thieves and Minecraft are both under the Microsoft umbrella, it wouldn't be surprising if the former featured a similar approach to the latter's payment.

Sea of Thieves Hopefully Includes Some of Minecraft Realms' Community Features

Realm Stories is a hub that adds an extra social element to the experience.

Last year, Minecraft added Realm Stories, which made community management and participation far easier. This allowed both players and the server host to get event updates and keep track of when players are usually on. This could be incredibly useful for Sea of Thieves, if Rare wants to really make custom servers as strong of a community experience as possible.

Custom Seas is really embracing player freedom, as the system will allow a variety of customization options.

It's Been a Big Year for Sea of Thieves

In addition to Custom Seas, Sea of Thieves hosted its first crossover in a long time back in April. This hopefully gives the game a little bit of extra momentum, as major collaborations have become sparse since launching in 2018.

The world of Sea of Thieves allows players to live out their pirate fantasies, and Custom Seas can make adventure even more fun with friends. The privacy of one's own custom server is bound to be a welcome update to Sea of Thieves, and there will hopefully be more information revealed later this year.

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