Sea of Thieves has already amassed more than two million players in just over a week, and that mass of plunderers inspired developer Rare to make a hard pivot on a proposed update that would deduct gold from players when they die in-game.
In an update on the game’s website, executive producer Joe Neate announced that the proposed “Death Cost” update has been nixed, thanks in part to negative player feedback. “One piece of additional feedback we’ve seen is around a proposed change listed in our release notes last week, and we’ve heard the sentiment there, so I can confirm that Death Cost is, well, dead,” said Neate.
The “Death Cost” update would have charged players gold pieces for every death, with the cause of death determining how much gold must be paid to the Captain of the Ferry of the Damned. In the week following its reveal, the swelling number of players responded negatively to its implementation and Rare responded accordingly. “Thanks for the feedback. We’re listening,” said Neate.
It’s a smart move for Rare to listen to the game’s fans as Sea of Thieves continues to grow in player count and sales. Wednesday, Microsoft announced that the game is its fastest-selling new IP of this console generation. The game doubled its audience in one week and is taking streaming services by storm as more and more take to the high seas for some sweet plundering action. Now, nothing stands in the way of players getting into all the battles, hunts and ridiculous predicaments their scurvy-ridden hearts can stand, with no fear of paying that lousy rez toll.
We’ve compiled some grand tips for new Sea of Thieves players—take a look right here.