While not off to a spectacular start, Sea of Thieves, the best ongoing game of 2019 so far, has tempted more than 10 million players to explore the pirate- and skeleton-infested seas since its launch.

Executive producer Joe Neate shared this major milestone this week, adding that it was the pirates' community that led to the game's success.

"For everyone at Rare, the Sea of Thieves community represents the pinnacle of what gaming is all about: players from over 80 countries on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, and Windows 10 PC, with countless stories and moments Countless stories and moments have been created. Seeing these stories shared through social media and other community spaces is what inspires our team every day, so to everyone who has played Sea of Thieves, thank you."

In this case, it's more than a cliché: Sea of Thieves was controversial when it first launched, thanks to its amazing world and boring activities, but people persisted, formed crews, and created their own fun. To Rare's credit, Rare worked hard to make this promising game live up to expectations, and as time went on, the pirates were rewarded with a better MMO.

Since launching in March, Rare has introduced a mountain of new challenges and activities at sea, an extensive story campaign, timed events, cross-play, and enough cosmetics to outfit a pirate. Most of the new elements are completely free, with the exception of pets, which have proven to be well worth the money.

Rare continues its free updates this month, celebrating the legendary pirate by asking players to go in search of Easter eggs. Finding the secret will be rewarded with a new commendation and, more importantly, a new tattoo.

It is worth noting that the impressive number of 10 million players is not the same as 10 million active players and includes those who played using Xbox Game Pass. Nevertheless, it still remains a large number of pirates.