A highly anticipated feature is finally making its way to Sea of Thieves, but players will need to pay to access it. Custom servers, along with other undisclosed "benefits," are part of a subscription service that will be introduced to Rare's live-service pirate game in early 2026. Rare's developers shared this news during a Community Direct video released on Wednesday.

Sea of Thieves relies on spontaneous encounters with both AI-driven foes and real players, both of whom can engage in conflicts with players. With custom servers, players can design their own "private customizable sandbox" with options to adjust loot and enemy spawns. Private servers can also host "Safer Seas Fleets," enabling players to invite friends without the worry of hostile strangers. Rare has yet to disclose the cost of this subscription model.

Rare was among the many studios affected by massive layoffs at Microsoft, leading to the cancellation of the studio's project Everwild. Gregg Mayles, a veteran of the company and the creative director for both Sea of Thieves and Everwild, reportedly left Rare following Everwild's cancellation.

The nearly hour-long Community Direct did not touch upon the layoffs, the status of Everwild, or Mayles' departure from the studio. Instead, the video featured five members of the Sea of Thieves team discussing the health of their online game and detailing upcoming additions in the next several months.

Rare also discussed the already-announced Season 17, which brings a new faction called The Smugglers' League and additional loot to the game's sandbox. Seasons will adopt a more monthly cadence, introducing new content and events every month rather than unveiling everything at the start of the season.

Specifically for Season 17, the first month will officially introduce The Smugglers' League, the second month will feature a "heist" live event, and the third month will update the map's Skeleton Forts. The developers also briefly teased Season 18, which will focus on the dangerous Devil's Roar area within the game world.

In a move that may excite dedicated players, Rare is removing the NDA from the game's Insider Programme, which offers preview builds that showcase upcoming updates to Sea of Thieves. The developers describe this as a "first step" toward opening broader discussions with the game's community.

It's been challenging times for Rare, but the studio seems determined to assure Sea of Thieves players that the game still has momentum, hopefully for many more years to come.

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