Sea of Thieves' launch wasn't the smoothest back in March 2018, but it's since managed to lure in many players with its high seas hijinks. According to a recent blog post, the pirating adventure has notched over 15 million players in over two years, and June 2020 was its biggest month ever, with more than 3.3 million players walking the plank. The game has also sold more than a million copies on Steam.

In a previous blog post back in January celebrating 10 million players, an executive producer at Rare called Sea of Thieves Microsoft's most successful new IP of the Xbox One generation. A recent update added ghastly ghost ships to the game, along with more shanties and a new special event that challenges players to sink Captain Flameheart's flagship, the Burning Blade.

While initial reviews of Sea of Thieves were muted, the game has improved quite a lot over its two year lifespan. In GameSpot's Sea of Thieves re-review, critic Michael Rougeau called the game a voyage worth embarking on. "Since the game's launch over two years ago, Rare has worked continuously to build on Sea of Thieves' strong framework, and the countless features and systems they've added have all enhanced that core, undeniable truth," he wrote. "They still have work to do, and for some players, it will never be enough. But there are open seas and clear skies ahead."