Xbox is significantly expanding its presence in film and television with over a dozen adaptations of its game franchises currently in development. Among these upcoming projects is a live-action movie based on Rare's multiplayer pirate adventure, Sea of Thieves.
Destin Daniel Cretton, known for directing "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and co-creating the Disney+ series "Wonder Man," is attached to produce the Sea of Thieves film through his company Hisako. While a director has not yet been named, the project signals a substantial commitment from Xbox to leverage its intellectual property across multiple entertainment mediums.
Matt Booty, Xbox's chief content officer, offered insight into the potential narrative direction for the Sea of Thieves adaptation, emphasizing the game's communal nature. "The main character of a Sea of Thieves game is actually the player and the community," Booty stated in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. He further elaborated that the game's focus is less on traditional characters and plot, and more on its cooperative tone and the player-driven experience.
Launched in 2018 for Xbox consoles and PC, Sea of Thieves evolved from a game that initially faced a tepid reception into a popular multiplayer title, with years of updates contributing to its growth. The game has since expanded to Xbox Series X/S and was released on PlayStation 5 in 2024.
The Sea of Thieves movie is part of a broader initiative by Xbox, which also includes a sequel to "A Minecraft Movie," live-action films for "Call of Duty" and "Gears of War," a third season of Amazon's "Fallout" series, a "Fallout Shelter" reality TV show, and a "Wolfenstein" live-action series, alongside an animated "Minecraft" series from Netflix. This ambitious slate underscores Xbox's strategy to diversify its entertainment offerings beyond gaming.