There's a lot to be excited about with the forthcoming release of Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life. The crossover between the popular online adventuring game and Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean was one of the most unexpected reveals of the Microsoft and Bethesda 2021 E3 showcase – not much was actually said in the original trailer, but more information about the game's mechanics, story, and characters was unveiled during a special Sea of Thieves stream the following Sunday.
During a preview with creative director Mike Chapman in the days before, Game ZXC learned about how Captain Jack Sparrow will function in Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life. He's most easily described as an AI crewmate who will join the player as an adventurer, explorer, and ally in combat against other ships. He has the ability to load and fire cannons, he will comment on Sea of Thieves island names as the player looks over the map, and he will disembark for land-based exploration when necessary.
The inclusion of a companion-like NPC in Sea of Thieves has been requested for a long time by solo players. Although the player will have to go through the first Tall Tale to get Jack onto the ship, he will stay throughout the duration of A Pirate's Life as a member of the crew. During the preview, Chapman told Game ZXC that the team "paid special consideration to solo players" and mentioned inventory management and sailing as key things the team kept in mind.
The inclusion of Captain Jack Sparrow as an AI crewmate makes getting around the Sea of Thieves much easier for solo players. Solo players can maneuver and outrun a ship belonging to a larger crew, but it's still a hassle to have to manage everything on one's own. While players will benefit from having Sparrow on board, they can also choose to go at it truly alone and return to the Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life Tall Tales at any point in their playthrough, thereby giving them the option to bring him back as an ally.
The design of Captain Jack Sparrow in Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life was central to the team at Rare. For authenticity, they brought in Jared Butler for Sparrow's voice, who was the character's voice actor in Kingdom Hearts III. They also brought in a stunt double from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies to re-enact Johnny Depp's iconic mannerisms. Chapman told Game ZXC that the stunt double acted in full make-up and captured the character "right down to the mannerisms... and the facial expressions."
Captain Jack Sparrow won't be the only familiar face from the Pirates of the Caribbean series, though. Davy Jones will serve as the major antagonist of the Tall Tales, and Sparrow's first mate Gibbs will make an appearance too. Chapman hinted vaguely at the inclusion of other iconic heroes and villains of the Pirates franchise during the preview with Game ZXC, but confirmed that players will also see members of the crew of the Black Pearl during the expansion, too.
Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life will launch June 22, 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.