Sea of Thieves' final pre-release testing phase is happening soon and everyone's invited
Full game out early next yarr.
Sea of Thieves, Rare's piratical multiplayer sailing adventure, has almost reached the end of its year-long Technical Alpha. However, one last testing phase is scheduled before the game launches early next year - and everyone's invited to come aboard.
Rare's Technical Alpha was announced all the way back in December last year, and has slowly expanded its pool of testers from an initial 1,000 to nearly 200,000. For the final testing phase, however, everyone signed up to Sea of Thieves' Insider Programme will be given the opportunity to join in and play early.
If you're interested in a spot of pre-release seafaring, there's still time to sign up to the Insider Programme. The cut-off date for final submissions is December 1st.
There are a few caveats to registration however; firstly, you'll need to sign an NDA before you can participate in the testing phase, so it's only open to those aged 18 and above. Additionally, an Xbox Live account is required to play on Windows 10, and an Xbox Live Gold membership is needed to play on Xbox One. There's a FAQ for those requiring more details.
Rare has been surprisingly open with the community during Sea of Thieves' Technical Alpha, and the game's official YouTube channel is positively heaving with developer insights and useful information. If you're looking for a bit of a primer before you hoist anchor and embark on your grog-soaked adventure, it's a fine place to start.