Why Sea of Thieves could be the next Fortnite
Sea of Thieves has been out for just under a year now, but the foundation and potential is there for it to be the next Fortnite – in good time.
Some people might point towards that March 2018 release date and think ‘well, if it hasn’t blown up yet… Why will it blow up now?’ That’s a very fair conclusion to come to.
However, in an age where so many children – and even adults – are watching, following and supporting streamers on Twitch, movements from some of the biggest personalities on the platform could be an indication towards a possible meteoric rise for the pirate game in the near future.
You just don’t know what’s going to surprise you next in Sea of Thieves. A kraken might not be too far away!Summit1g has established himself as the biggest Sea of Thieves streamer so far, but his ever rising popularity on Twitch seems to have turned the heads of other streamers as well – Dr Disrespect, Ninja, CouRage and TimTheTatMan are just some of the big names that have been playing the game of late.
With that being said, there are many reasons related to gameplay which could also be playing a big part in the shift. Battling, sailing and taking on quests for treasure is fun. There’s an exciting competitive PvP element to it as well, when you come up against enemy crews you don’t really know what to expect. It’s unpredictable in that sense.
Sit back and look at Fortnite over a sustained period of time, during Season 7 for example, and you’ll see how streamers are becoming tired of it. The game is changing rapidly and many of those changes are causing frustration on a weekly basis.
You don’t get that with Sea of Thieves and it offers the same flexibility. You can play alone on a Sloop, as a duo and a trio on a Brigantine, or have a crew of up to four players on your Galleon. Surely, the likes of The Doc, Ninja and others would be able to put together some hilarious crews in that regard.
When you throw down your sails and pull up your anchor, you’re going to enjoy yourself as part of a squad. That might involve your own quests, coming into contact with other players or maybe stealing loot from other ships. As Summit1g has proven already, this game can be used to create tons of good content for viewers to enjoy.
Rare has added more and more quests to Sea of Thieves since its release.The game does have its limitations, though. Sea of Thieves is very basic in terms of in-game activities and it hasn’t changed an awful lot since it was first released, whereas Epic Games – for better or for worse – is constantly innovating, finding ways to keep people interested.
That doesn’t mean to say that Microsoft Studios aren’t going to innovate and grow the game, especially with increased popularity. Of course they will, but perhaps slower than these streamers will be used to.
Moreover, what we’re seeing right now is a number of big streamers who have not really put much time into the game before jump on the bandwagon. For all we know, they could drop the game tomorrow and never play it again, but that’s not going to happen.
This pirate game might not offer the same competitive experience as Fortnite, but with increased interest from streamers, a demand for Sea of Thieves content and a solid game that has stuck to its vision, there’s no hiding that this one could turn from a slow burner to the next big thing on Twitch.