Sea of Thieves – the pirate adventure that heralds the return of Rare

The developer of Banjo Kazooie returns to its roots with this imaginative open-seas pirate game featuring cannons, grog and accordion jams

The crew are below deck when the battle starts. Unbeknown to them, another galleon has drawn up alongside and is now pummelling their ship with cannon fire. They know they should race up and into their battle positions, they know this is the only way to defend their craft. But there's a problem. They're all drunk. And besides, this accordion rendition of Ride of the Valkyries isn't going to finish itself.

Welcome to Sea of Thieves, a multiplayer pirate yarn that lead designer Mike Chapman brilliantly describes as a "shared world adventure game" ... or SWAG. Players take to their ships, form crews with their friends, and then head out onto the vast open ocean, searching for treasure-stuffed islands. There will be sea monsters to face, and a variety of journey quests to discover, some quick, some epic in scope. But there is no over-arching narrative; just a world to ransack.