SCURVY SEADOGS

Bad behaviour is always a concern when making a multiplayer game, but Sea Of Thieves appears to be leading the pack when it comes to creative moderation solutions. “When we did research, it seemed like most toxicity came from people just having a bad day,” Timmins says. You can still mute and block, of course, but it’s the features that enable players to moderate amongst themselves that most intrigue. While it still needs some work, locking a member of your crew in the brig for a spell sends a clear message that their current behaviour won’t fly. And there’ll even be a pirate code, hopefully hung in the tavern as a reminder and given to players as a parchment that, like maps, players can physically show each other as a warning sign that a line is being crossed.