Sea of Thieves was one of the four games that Xbox executives announced for rival platforms in the February Business Update podcast. Upon launch, it quickly became the most downloaded game on PS5 in both North America and Europe.
Justin Corrie, global content communications coordinator at Sony Interactive Entertainment, shared the news on PlayStation Blog. The list contained the top 20 most downloaded games across all PlayStation hardware (PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and PS VR) in the U.S., Canada, and EU.
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“F1 24 is off to the races in May’s PS5 list by entering the top 3 of most downloads in the EU region, with Sea of Thieves ascending the list in both the US and EU regions,” Corrie announced. “The PS VR2 list saw new release Madison VR enter the fray of most downloads in May.”
Apart from Sea of Thieves, three other Microsoft-owned games also made it to the top 20 list. This includes Fallout 4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Grounded. Topping the list of PS4 downloads was Minecraft.
Although Xbox CEO Phil Spencer said in the February business update that the four games going to rival platforms was a one-off deal, in a separate interview later, he said he wouldn’t rule out sending more Xbox exclusives to rival platforms. During the Sunday Xbox Games Showcase, Doom: The Dark Ages was announced for PS5, in addition to Xbox Series X|S and PC.
More than half of Sea of Thieves players on PS5 have dropped off
In less than a month after the Sea of Thieves was sent to PS5, a report has emerged claiming 58% of players on the platform have dropped off. The news first appeared on TrueTrophies which used data from GameInsights. The data suggested that 58% of players left the title after a month.
This will likely be a huge blow to Xbox executives and the game developers who had hoped to grow the community behind the pirate-themed title by sending it to rival platforms. Hopefully, the game made enough money to cover the cost of porting it to PS5 in the first place.
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While live-service games usually have a lifecycle, over 50% drop in less than a month is considered drastic. Notwithstanding its dropping player count (even before it was ported to PS5), the UK-based developer Rare continued to furnish the game with new content.
Regardless of what the numbers say, there is no indication that Rare is done with the game. Since its release in 2018, Sea of Thieves content update has swelled to season 12 which began on April 30, 2024 and is scheduled to end on July 25, 2024.
What do you think is responsible for the rapid drop in Sea of Thieves player count on PS5? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
