Well, they finally did it! Rare added front and rear-facing cannons into the game! As of the time of me writing this, Season 16: Reapers Rule is launching in Sea of Thieves, and with it, a boat-load (pun intended) of new features!

Alongside the aforementioned Cannon of Rage (a portable cannon that can presumably be placed anywhere in the world), new Reaper’s Bones quest, commendations, and cosmetics have been added to the game to add a nice balance to Season 6’s Legend of the Veil Athena’s Fortune-focused quest. While I’m firmly against the Reapers in-game, and am actively looking forward to rescuing Captain Pendragon from the Underworld (long story, if you’re not caught up), I think Season 16 is fantastic for Sea of Thieves and its future!

 My personal favorite thing Rare gave us this season is the ‘Order of Bone and Blade’ skeletons. According to Rare, you’ll be able to find these mercenaries on islands, and once they are dug up, they will help you with an assortment of different activities on that particular island. As primarily a Solo-Slooper myself, I think these skeletons will go a long way in helping me complete quests on the big islands (I’m looking at you, Old Faithful)

However, I find the timing of Season 16’s release to be interesting. It’s the end of May, with Xbox’s annual Game Showcase less than a month away. Why didn’t Rare wait until June 8^th or so to release Season 16?

Here’s my theory:

Sea of Thieves’s crossover with the Pirates of the Caribbean, A Pirate’s Life, was released on June 22^nd, 2021. Likewise, the Monkey Island crossover, The Legend of Monkey Island, was unveiled on June 11^th, 2023.

 Do you see where I’m going with this? If the pattern holds, we’re due for another crossover. Rare has said they are going to shelf Tall Tales in favor of more sandbox features (Which they’ve done), but who’s to say they aren’t stealing from Andrew Garfield’s playbook at the same time? Do I think it’s likely? Probably not. But I wouldn’t put it past Mike Chapman and the gang to surprise us with a new crossover on June 8^th! (My hope is that it ties up loose ends from A Pirate’s Life and The Legend of Monkey Island. And an added bonus, we could have Jack Sparrow talk to Guybrush Threepwood—which, in my opinion, would be one of the funniest conversations we could have between fictional characters!)

I guess we’ll find out if my theory holds any water on the eighth. Until then, I’ll be sailing the seven servers (because it’s a video game and we play online…get it?) and enjoying Season 16!

Thanks Rare!

Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash