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Did Rare Split Sea of Thieves Into Three Teams? What the 2018 Report Said

A 2018 GamesBeat report said Rare had three Sea of Thieves teams, focused on Hungering Deep, Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores. Later official updates do not confirm a current total.
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Rare split Sea of Thieves development into three teams in 2018, according to a May 1 report by GamesBeat. The teams were assigned to The Hungering Deep, Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores. That is a historical snapshot, not confirmation of Rare’s current team count: later official updates describe some dedicated teams but do not give a total.

What were Rare’s three Sea of Thieves teams working on?

GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb reported on May 1, 2018, that Rare had reorganized Sea of Thieves development into three groups, each focused on a different content update. The report assigned them as follows:

  • The Hungering Deep: one team handled this update. GamesBeat said it was smaller because that team had less development time than the other groups.
  • Cursed Sails: a second team worked on this update.
  • Forsaken Shores: a third team worked on this update.

The report said the groups also worked on weekly events, responded to player feedback and built major features for their respective additions. These assignments describe Rare’s 2018 structure; they should not be read as a current organization chart. GamesBeat’s May 1, 2018 report was marked updated June 20, 2025.

Why did Rare make the change?

GamesBeat quoted Rare executive producer Joe Neate describing a new structure: “We’ve changed the structure of how the team is formed,” and “The team is now split into three separate teams.” The report presented the reorganization as a way to support the delivery of more content while the game moved beyond its launch period and toward new features and additions.

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#1 Best Overall
Sea of Thieves: Standard Edition – Xbox One
  • A shared-world adventure game by acclaimed UK developer Rare Ltd. Xbox Live Gold required to play (sold separately)
  • Live the essential pirate life in a world rich with Rare’s irreverent charm. Sail and fight together, hunt treasure and create your own legends
  • A fantastical world of unspoiled islands, mythical monsters and mouth-watering loot. Total freedom to decide how you approach the world and its players
  • Xbox One Console exclusive
  • Battery: no battery used;Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Crude humor, use of alcohol, violence

Neate also told GamesBeat, “We’re into this rhythm of weekly updates.” The article connected the teams’ work with weekly events as well as larger update features, but that quote and description are reported by GamesBeat, not drawn here from a separately reviewed transcript.

How many teams work on Sea of Thieves now?

The available official sources do not establish a current total. Rare’s July 2025 Community Direct page described dedicated teams for Seasons, Pirate Emporium and Game Health, and said Rare would expand Game Health. It did not say that these were the studio’s only teams or confirm that the 2018 three-team arrangement continued.

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Sea of Thieves Xbox One (Renewed)
  • A shared-world adventure game by acclaimed UK developer Rare Ltd. Xbox Live Gold required to play (sold separately)
  • Live the essential pirate life in a world rich with Rare's irreverent charm. Sail and fight together, hunt treasure and create your own legends!
  • A fantastical world of unspoiled islands, mythical monsters and mouth-watering loot
  • Total freedom to decide how you approach the world and its players
  • Available on the Xbox One family of devices and Windows 10 PCs. Supports Xbox Play Anywhere and cross-platform play** (**Play on one device at a time. PC hardware requirements may vary for games on Windows 10).The Hungering Deep, the first major Sea of Thieves content update landing May 2018, brings with it an exciting new threat to the Sea of Thieves world. Work together with other crews on a completely new adventure with gameplay enhancements and unique rewards.The May kick-off of the Sea of Thieves weekly events programme also introduces fun new ways to play with weekly events and rewards.

In June 2026, Xbox Wire’s Season 20 article covered Custom Seas without stating how many teams Rare had. It described a private sandbox that lets players set session rules, summon enemies and items, send players and ships to destinations, and assign up to 24 players to crews. The feature is evidence of later development work, not a team-count disclosure.

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What the three-team headline means

If you are asking whether Rare split Sea of Thieves into three teams, the answer is yes—as reported in 2018, with separate groups assigned to The Hungering Deep, Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores. If you are asking how many teams work on the game today, the cited updates do not provide a total.

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Sea of Thieves Xbox One (Renewed)
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Best Value
Sea of Thieves Xbox One
  • A shared-world adventure game by acclaimed UK developer Rare Ltd. Xbox Live Gold required to play (sold separately)
  • Live the essential pirate life in a world rich with Rare's irreverent charm. Sail and fight together, hunt treasure and create your own legends!
  • A fantastical world of unspoiled islands, mythical monsters and mouth-watering loot
  • Total freedom to decide how you approach the world and its players
  • Available on the Xbox One family of devices and Windows 10 PCs. Supports Xbox Play Anywhere and cross-platform play** (**Play on one device at a time. PC hardware requirements may vary for games on Windows 10).The Hungering Deep, the first major Sea of Thieves content update landing May 2018, brings with it an exciting new threat to the Sea of Thieves world. Work together with other crews on a completely new adventure with gameplay enhancements and unique rewards.The May kick-off of the Sea of Thieves weekly events programme also introduces fun new ways to play with weekly events and rewards.
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Sea of Thieves: Standard Edition – Xbox One [Digital Code]
  • Sea of Thieves offers the essential pirate experience, from sailing and fighting to exploring and looting – everything you need to live the pirate life and become a legend in your own right.
  • Whether you’re voyaging as a group or sailing solo, you’re bound to encounter other crews in this shared-world adventure – but will they be friends or foes, and how will you respond?

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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