Steamforged Games Announce First Ever Sea of Thieves Board Game
The Manchester-based publisher hoist the sails on a tabletop adaptation of Rare’s beloved
pirate video game
Tabletop game creator and publisher Steamforged Games today announce Sea of Thieves: Voyage of Legends. This competitive seafaring adventure for 2-4 players will give shipmates the unique chance to enjoy developer Rare’s hit video game in a new format. The partnership was brokered by Rare Ltd.’s brand extension licensing agency, Tinderbox — the digital division of Beanstalk.
The original Sea of Thieves game – released on PC and Xbox in 2018 – allows players to live out their innermost pirate fantasies by crewing a roving pirate ship as they explore a vibrant open world full of discovery.
From fulfilling bounties and following treasure maps to boarding the ships of fellow players and stealing their loot, players can live a pirate life of their own choosing. This compelling call to the open sea has seen many fans take to the waves, with Sea of Thieves celebrating a milestone 30 million players in June 2022.
Now, Steamforged Games have raised the anchor on their latest project: a board game adaptation that captures the magic of the much-loved video game, coming Summer 2023. Sea of Thieves: Voyage of Legends will see players competing for the title of Pirate Legend by completing various Quests and objectives to gain reputation.
It won’t all be plain sailing for these tabletop pirates though, with skeletal enemies crewing hostile ships and foreboding Forts that wait on the horizon. And players must beware behemoths like the Kraken and Megalodon lurking in the deep, capable of capsizing a ship in moments!
With Steamforged Games’ successful history of adapting renowned video game titles for the tabletop – including Resident Evil, DARK SOULS, and Horizon: Zero Dawn to name a few – this new piratical board game promises a joyous adventure that stays true to the free-roving spirit of Rare’s video game.
Steamforged Games’ Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Mat Hart, commented: “It's a privilege to bring Rare’s vivid pirate world to life as a board game for the first time. From a creative perspective, Sea of Thieves’ distinctive art style has been a real pleasure to work with and looks just as evocative on tiles as it does on screen. Rare captured pirate magic with their compelling gameplay loop, and that’s something we’ve strived to bring to the board game too.”
Head of Brand & Licensing, Adam Park and Brand & Licensing Art Director, Peter Hentze from Rare Ltd, developer of the Sea of Thieves video game, added: “We know our fans have a real passion for gaming of all kinds, so it’s been great to work with Steamforged and create something that plays to the strength of the board game experience while remaining authentic to Sea of Thieves, its world and its characters. Even from the early playtests we knew we were onto something special, and we can’t wait for players to get together and enjoy the game for themselves!”