This one comes with the caveat that nobody really expected Microsoft to have a VR presentation anyways, as the company had attempted to make it very clear that it had no intentions of focusing on Microsoft VR technology when it had a lot of games to show and a new console to finally unv

Sea of Thieves , Seaofthievesfans.com the forthcoming Microsoft exclusive , is being pitched as a games as a service-style game. Publisher Microsoft sees it as the sort of game that players will want to keep coming back to month after month. It comes as little surprise then, that like so many other games as a service, Sea of Thieves will also include microtransacti

This cosmetic content will "either be on a shoulder, like a monkey, or like a cat on the ship" or even potions that change the appearance of the player character (e.g a potion that makes them look very old). Neate also suggests that Sea of Thieves players will be able to earn the currency to unlock this content through normal play. For example, players may be able to earn premium currency as a reward for completing high-level quests, or the content could even be found in the game world. Neate also says that anything available via microtransactions will provide "emotional value, not mechanical val

Rare's Short Haul trailers are just one way the developer is continuing to communicate with its audience, whether they're excited for Sea of Thieves or not. There are several other short video series that are ongoing, like the Inn-side Stories series or one-offs created for special events, like Talk Like a Pirate Day. Perhaps this extensive amount of developer-to-player communication is another strategy to help bring players closer to the experience that Sea of Thieves will provide . Perhaps in knowing Rare, players will better know their ga

Unlike past year's E3 events, this year's had a particular air of familiarity. Going into the even most gamers had a pretty good handle on what should be announced, and by and large the major publishers stuck to their scripts. There were some surprises, like the official reveal of the Xbox One Scorpio , but mostly it was the known quantities that impres

With only one really game to show, Nintendo was going for broke with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild . Luckily, the demo Nintendo had on-hand built multiple games worth of hype, showcasing tons of exploration and teasing an interesting storyline. This was not the Zelda most are familiar with, but in this context that is a good thing. Although we are only recognizing a group of games as the best of E3, there’s no denying The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was one of the best games we saw all s

After the absolutely electric response from the crowd last year during Sony's Last of Us 2 trailer reveal at PlayStation Experience 2016, many people considered the upcoming sequel to be a lock for this year's conference. Those expectations were dashed, however, when Sony closed its presentation on a new Spider-Man gameplay demonstration that, while exciting, wasn't exactly what many were expecting from one of the most influential companies in gaming during the industry's flashiest w

Unfortunately, we all know that didn't happen. While some other titles got their time in the remake spotlight, including an exciting new 3DS game in Metroid: Samus Returns , there was no mention of Nintendo's generational fighting IP. That could be due in part to the surprising success of ARMS , a game that initially existed as an afterthought in the Switch's early launch lineup previews thanks to Breath of the Wild but has quickly gained steam as a viable new IP in its own right. Still, though, would it have been so hard to just throw together a teaser for 2

Specific examples of visual effects cited within Sea of Thieves ' trailer include cannon explosions and how cannon balls crash into ship hulls, as well as the spray of water as a ship parts the sea. Andreas Oberg, the VFX Lead at Rare, describes these effects in detail regarding how they're used to create a more visceral and engaging experience for players. Andreas describes it thusly within the trai

A recent datamine of the game's files uncovered lots more Sea of Thieves content, including new enemies and animals such as parrots, pigs, and seagulls. The leak also pointed to lots of character and ship customization , from tattoos and eyepatches to a variety of ship hulls. With the game's microtransactions still a few months away, Rare is still working on the finer details but these datamined options do sound like the sort of cosmetic items that could be unlocked via microtransacti

Speaking to IGN , Rare's executive producer Joe Neate confirmed that the first major post-launch Sea of Thieves update will introduce microtransactions. This update is expected around three months after Sea of Thieves ' launch and "anything in this area will not impact power or progression, and you'll always know what you're getting - so that means no loot crates," says Neate. Given the ongoing controversy surrounding pay to win loot boxes and the debate on whether or not loot boxes are gambling , many will be glad to hear that Sea of Thieves won't feature that mecha