How Pirates of the Caribbean Fits Into The Sea of Thieves Universe Perfectly
The expansion for Season 3 of Sea of Thieves is a crossover with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise that fans have been requesting since the game first launched. Titled Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life, the expansion brings together two worlds that couldn't be more perfectly suited for one another. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are some of the most bombastic pirate adventures ever put to screen, and Sea of Thieves is just as over-the-top with the same underlying sense of absurdity.
There are many different pirate-y adventure movies under Disney's ownership, such as Peter Pan, Treasure Planet, and even classics like The Swiss Family Robinson. However, what sets Pirates of the Caribbean apart as a franchise that works perfectly in a video game setting is the incredible sense of adventure one feels while watching them. Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life grants this fantasy to players in a satisfying and engaging way.
One of the major connections between Sea of Thieves and Pirates of the Caribbean is where their primary inspirations lie. The original Pirates of the Caribbean Disney ride was heavily inspired by classic pirate stories like Treasure Island, where pirates were depicted as treasure hunting adventurers who weren't afraid of anything. Of course, in real life, this isn't the case, but it is classics like this and the Disney ride that have created the modern perception of pirates being free explorers rather than outlaws.
The Pirates of the Caribbean movies took a lot of cues from the original Disney ride and made plenty of references to it, but it also put its own unique spin on the adventurer stereotype. In the movies, the supernatural elements add to the mystery and drive the plot in unique ways.
In Sea of Thieves, the supernatural is everywhere – on just about every island a player lands on they are bound to come across some risen skeletons or find some kind of magical presence. The game is only very loosely inspired by real-life pirates and much more inspired by the noble, free adventurer stereotype. The fantastical elements of both the Disney franchise and Sea of Thieves match tonally very well, and players can now explore some of the mysteries of the movies for themselves.
The story for Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life revolves around the player finding and rescuing Captain Jack Sparrow after he finds himself transported to the Sea of the Damned. Davy Jones, one of the main antagonists of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, gives chase and finds himself unable to feel his connection with the souls of dead sailors in this new realm.
The story of A Pirate's Life keeps the central details and personalities of characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise intact, while also telling an original tale. Joe Neate, the executive producer for Sea of Thieves, told Game Rant during a preview event that the game would feature its own completely original story that takes place canonically after Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
As such, neither universe will be forever irreparably damaged by its inclusion in the other. It's even in the name, according to Neate. On why Rare and Disney decided to go with A Pirate's Life instead of using the Pirates of the Caribbean branding, Neate said, "ultimately this is a Sea of Thieves update, we wanted to make it clear that this is Sea of Thieves."
One of the main thematic aspects of Sea of Thieves is its humorous take on the pirate life that is counteracted by the game's intense ship battles. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are the same, with comedy beats intertwining with fast-paced and bombastic action sequences. The characters in Sea of Thieves are wacky, over-the-top representations of classic pirate stereotypes – and the characters of Pirates of the Caribbean are no different.
Captain Jack Sparrow, for example, is the ultimate solo pirate, somehow always able to find his way out of a corner – even if that corner is the afterlife. Elizabeth Swan is a stereotypical upper-class lady, Davy Jones is based on classic sailor stories, and every side character seems to have a kind of gruff, grouchy stupidness to them.
The humor of Jack Sparrow is iconic and fits well with the game's already absurd take on the pirate life. Other characters like Joshamee Gibbs, Captain Barbossa, and Will Turner also have a light-hearted 'edge' to them that is easily tweaked for the purposes of the Sea of Thieves aesthetic. Only a few of these characters have been confirmed for A Pirate's Life, but generally, these less-iconic characters could still seamlessly fit into the new expansion alongside Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones.
Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life will launch June 22, 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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