Any long-lived video game with regular updates is bound to abandon certain features lately. If a certain function of the game just doesn't see much use, then sometimes the only logical choice is to shut it down and focus resources on more popular parts of the game. Sea of Thieves just went through this process with its Arena mode. Citing the fact that the PvP mode only accounted for a tiny percentage of overall Sea of Thieves play, developer Rare opted to get rid of the mode altogether. Unfortunately, the loss of Arena meant that players wouldn't be able to get certain achievements anymore.
Unachievable achievements are also a frequent occurence in gaming for a variety of reasons, but in the case of Sea of Thieves' Arena mode, Rare never offered fans a plan to make up for the achievements' unavailability. For Sea of Thieves completionists, it's frustrating to think that there'll always be a few objectives that they can't complete. That's why Rare should consider looking to Gears 5 for inspiration. Gears of War developer The Coalition just announced that it's also removing an underutilized game feature, but it has plans to soften the blow. Rare ought to give Sea of Thieves fans some bonuses similar to the new Gears 5 rewards.
Comparing Gears 5 and Sea of Thieves Legacy Content
Gears 5 players have lost access to the Map Builder section of Escape Mode, which empowered fans to create their own Escape Hives with which to challenge one another. Gears 5's Map Builder did have some achievements attached to it, but rather than making them inaccessible, The Coalition is unlocking the achievements for all Gears 5 players for free. What's more, players who already have these achievements will get some rewards. Anyone who has I Made It All By Myself will get a special banner, whereas players with Homegrown Hive will get 10,000 Coins.
All in all, these are some pretty solid rewards to make up for Map Builder's closure, and they stand in strong contrast to Sea of Thieves' handling of Arena achievements. Unless Rare secretly plans to reintegrate Arena at a later date, there's really no reason not to give Sea of Thieves fans access to all the Arena achievements for free. Since Arena's removal was due to low popularity, however, odds of a comeback are low. Even if it does so later than it should have, Sea of Thieves would be wise to curry favor with fans by offering legacy achievement rewards like the ones available in Gears 5.
Sending Off Sea of Thieves' Arena Well
Rare wouldn't have to go all too far to arrange some special rewards for fans who completed the Arena achievements already. Sea of Thieves cosmetics come in many forms, ranging from ship details to character costume pieces, and Rare could put any of these categories to good use when thinking of a way to commemorate Arena and reward fans of the mode. Even if it doesn't want to put in the effort of designing new cosmetics, Rare could still give some free Gold to whoever had the achievements already as a gesture of thanks for committed Arena players.
Even if Arena wasn't a huge part of Sea of Thieves, it feels unceremonious to shut down the mode and simply leave fans hanging in terms of the mode's legacy achievements. Even if Rare is always adding new content like the recent Sea Forts to Sea of Thieves, it ought to acknowledge long-gone parts of the game, rather than pushing them under the rug. Arena helped Sea of Thieves get to where it is today, even if it only played a small part. Gears 5's handling of Map Builder is a perfect example of how Rare could celebrate the legacy of Arena.
Sea of Thieves is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.