Thanks to Wolfman and Hamada for helping with edits. Also, thanks to Hyle of DK Vine for offering commentary.
Let’s start with a confession: I haven’t played Sea of Thieves. With no disrespect to Rare, a studio of whom I’m a fan, a game built around cooperating with others isn’t enticing when I only have one friend who owns a copy. And while I understand the appeal of roleplaying as a pirate, I’m not confident Sea of Thieves‘ mechanics will click with me. Still, I’ll try the game one day. Promise.
Sailing the ocean and plundering treasure certainly carries an appeal, though I’ll probably survey the “Safer Seas.” What’s most appealing to me, however, is how Rare uses Sea of Thieves as a vessel to explore their shared universe. (Image: Microsoft)
I’m glad Sea of Thieves exists, though, and gave Rare a much-needed victory. After becoming a Microsoft subsidiary, their whimsical fare struggled to establish a niche for itself on the Xbox and Xbox 360, consoles known for “mature” shooters. Some noteworthy employees left the company, including founders Tim and Chris Stamper. But the Xbox One revitalized Rare, starting with their well-received 2015 Rare Replay compilation. The Killer Instinct reboot, which Rare supervised, was another success and spanned over three “seasons” of content. Sea of Thieves, a live service game, is continuing that momentum. It’s even held crossovers with Monkey Island and Pirates of the Caribbean, two Disney franchises. That’s impressive, especially for a new property!
Plus, Sea of Thieves and its supplemental media are a treasure trove of fun nods to Rare’s past. A constellation, Glimmer, is named after one of the Kongs’ Animal Buddies—and the idea was that they named their anglerfish ally after the famous constellation. Golden Bananas, the primary Donkey Kong 64 collectible, powered an ARG contest and are alluded to in-game. The banana-shaped Crescent Isle inherits its name from a Diddy Kong Racing course. Treasure Trove Cove of Banjo-Kazooie fame is located within the titular sea (even if it isn’t accessible in-game) and a novel explores its beached Salty Hippo ship. A bartender mentions that Jolly Roger Inn is opening soon, alluding to the origins of the Banjo-Tooie tavern. Fables of “a distant paradise inhabited by candy-filled creatures” imply the Viva Piñata island isn’t too far away from the pirates’ playfield. Clothes, weapons, and ship parts are modeled after Rare iconography. The Ancients, the extinct race of people who once inhabited the Sea of Thieves, left paintings and carvings that depict familiar Rare heroes, relics that can even be read as prophetic in nature.
Items in the Viva Piñata games also gesture at a storied, strange universe. Since they’re set in the “present,” a few even all but outright say that Kazooie, Bottles, and Mr. Pants have visited Piñata Island or are venerated figures therein. (Image: Microsoft)
But I understand why people, particularly those who are new to this stuff or only follow it lightly, would write that all off as cute references and meta jokes. A friend of mine isn’t convinced Sea of Thieves is deliberately set within the same universe Banjo and friends call home; our conversation inspired this article, the first “Continuity Corner” entry in over six years. This series began by discussing how Rare handles worldbuilding, so drudging it up to examine their latest game seems appropriate.
A neat aspect of Rare’s worldbuilding is how characters introduced in one game can secure starring roles in another. Banjo and Conker got their start in Diddy Kong Racing (and fellow racer Tiptup found a home in the former’s series). Star Fox Adventures’ young Tricky was initially meant to be—and “supposedly” still is despite its unusual development history—the same Tricky from Diddy Kong Racing; it was meant to and arguably still does act as a prequel. Prior to the release of Yooka-Laylee, Playtonic Games, a studio composed of former Rare talent, admitted that some of its supporting characters were designed with potential spin-offs in mind (none of whom got one yet, but still; this is a practice Rare values).
I enjoy finding little connections between games. Realizing the Sunken Ghost Ship of Super Mario World is a submerged Airship from Super Mario Bros. 3 excited me. Same for identifying Another Code’s captain as the distant husband of Rosa from Hotel Dusk: Room 215. (Image: Nintendo)
Sea of Thieves took a page out of this ledger: Captain Blackeye, a minor character from the Banjo series, factors into its backstory—and, if you’re lucky, you might even encounter him. Question is, is this a concrete connection to Rare’s broader canon? Is Sea of Thieves’ Blackeye meant to be the same one from Banjo?
First, a quick history lesson. Captain Blackeye was originally meant to be the villain of Dream: Land of Giants, a project that ultimately evolved into Banjo-Kazooie. A portrait of Blackeye can be found in Kazooie and he formally debuts in Tooie as a pathetic has-been. Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, and the Viva Piñata series make a few Blackeye nods, too. Rare creative director Gregg Mayles has a long history with the company, buccaneers (he helped introduce me to the archetype through Donkey Kong Country 2), and Blackeye.
Sea of Thieves doesn’t overtly emphasize nor shy away from its Rare connections. Consequently, it’ll never leave my radar: I look forward to new updates and the nuggets they’ll add. (Image: Microsoft)
When Sea of Thieves was announced in 2015, Rare aficionados instantly thought of Captain Blackeye. Mayles rocked the boat by changing his profile picture on Twitter to a previously unseen Dream render of the rogue. In a response to a fan inquiry, he even claimed Blackeye’s “Dream is ready to set sail after a lengthy time in port.” DK Vine, a community dedicated to charting Rare’s interconnected universe, got additional teases from Mayles and other Rare staffers in 2016 that Blackeye would grace Sea of Thieves.
One could argue, I suppose, that these teases don’t technically preclude Sea of Thieves’ Blackeye from being some elseworld version. But it’d be bizarre of Rare to hype up his inclusion to fans if he isn’t the Blackeye with whom they’re already familiar. Plus, if the character was burdened with a convoluted backstory, introducing a new, separate Blackeye might make sense. But his past is completely uncharted territory; there’s nothing for Sea of Thieves to contradict!
Sea of Thieves is set during the Golden Age of Piracy, centuries before Banjo. If you’re wondering how Blackeye is still frequenting Jolly’s, we can probably assume he found the Fountain of Youth. Perhaps other Sea of Thieves outcasts have, too, and will crop up in the future. (Image: Microsoft)
Sea of Thieves finally hit store shelves in 2018. Fans searched for Captain Blackeye, to no avail. They did stumble upon shopkeeper Cecil, one of his employees, however. Tales from the Sea of Thieves, a tie-in novel that acts as a prelude to the game, is partially written from the perspective of newcomer Flameheart, who recalls meeting Blackeye. Writer Chris Allcock, when asked if Blackeye would show up in the game, played coy. Even without physically appearing, though, Blackeye’s shadow looms large over the Sea of Thieves; his presence is far more substantial than, say, a Roysten or Rare Cow cameo.
However, April 2019 stealthily ousted Captain Blackeye’s role within the game: he is Mayles’ personal avatar. Now, one could argue that this shouldn’t count as a canonical appearance; that’s fair. I suspect we all expected the Rare stalwart to dramatically emerge as a central character in some grand story arc, so even if you accept this as a kosher Blackeye appearance, it might not be a satisfying one. Personally, if Mayles claims he’s Captain Blackeye, I’m not in a position to refute him. But I wouldn’t regardless—I like the idea that Blackeye’s on the same level as everyone else, scouring the ocean for riches. That ship you see sailing just over yonder could be his. Maybe you and your friends even raided it, instigating Blackeye’s fall from grace!
As someone with no connection to the Pendragon series, it was exciting seeing the Commodore 64 hero get revitalized. Few companies have a well as deep as Rare’s, one Sea of Thieves proudly draws from. (Image: Microsoft)
Metaphorically speaking, another Rare freebooter has appeared in the flesh and got fleshed out: Pendragon protagonist Sir Arthur Pendragon, a refugee from Rare’s Ultimate Play the Game days. In his interview, Allcock explained that Pendragon suits Sea of Thieves, his inclusion is unobtrusive for those unfamiliar with his series, and the team is selective with which legacy characters make the cut (though hopefully they’ll find a way to smuggle T.T. in there eventually).
To my knowledge, there hasn’t been a statement from a Rare employee that outright says “the events of Sea of Thieves are set before most of our other games.” I don’t believe we need one, though; Sea of Thieves is part of a broader universe. It openly references people, places, and things from across Rare’s history. Sea of Thieves anchoring itself to their fiction through Blackeye and Pendragon is also consistent with precedent. Altogether, these ties are too meaty to just be mere Easter eggs. But, rightfully so, the studio’s priority is making an engaging seafarer simulator first and a universe-expanding supplement second. Rare’s writers are tasteful, building upon their canon in a manner that simply adds a little spice for diehards.
Sea of Thieves’ ties to Rare’s canon are subtle enough as to not disadvantage players who aren’t well-versed in it. This set is a deliberate Kremling homage, by the way. (Image: Microsoft)
Sea of Thieves harbors a lot of positive qualities: a neat premise, active player base, and a deep love of Rare’s legacy. And that love makes sense; the studio’s work—Pendragon, Donkey Kong Country, Banjo—is rife with pirates. Making a game about them feels like a natural cumulation of Rare’s history, and using its unique setting to interrogate that history elevates both. And Sea of Thieves keeps evolving; who knows what Rare hooks lie on the horizon.
Captain Blackeye’s Sea of Thieves characterization even adds another tragic wrinkle to his Banjo-Tooie cameo: his name alone once invoked fear amongst a tavern of hardened pirates, a feat this washed-up alcoholic could never achieve. (Image: Microsoft)
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