Avast, ye hearties, here’s the deal. The crew of Sea of Thieves is not only in a good mood but a little bit confused about Santa’s route this year. Rare’s tweet, which was full of holiday spirit and fun, said that they have sent out ‘messages in bottles,’ which is just a pirate-y way of saying emails, containing free holiday goodies for players. But here comes the twist—only a select few received one. And the reaction from the community? It was a blend of ecstatic happiness and confused disappointment, which is basically the Sea of Thieves experience anyway.
So what’s the story? The official Sea of Thieves account tweeted that they have sent these holiday gifts through the email to the pirates and “their closest crewmates.” If you are in their mailing list, you were told to check your inbox. If not, they assured you that more goodies would be “smuggled” out over the next days. Cute, isn’t it? However, the players’ immediate reaction was a flood of comments with the message “I didn’t get mine!” Like, a lot of them.
A Sea of Thieves player named captnTedster boldly stated, “No email… I’m on the naught list I have a point.” Which, initially, was a great typo. Hang in there, Ted. Another one—IliyanMTodorov—simply posted a sad “still no email ):”. JakeDGSnake24 also joined with “I have yet to receive one,” which is probably missing a word but the feeling is crystal clear. It’s like waiting for a treasure map that never reaches you.
However, not everything was disappointment. There were players who actually got their hands on the loot! The user yoostis replied to a thread saying, “I never got a freebie before until they sent the email, which I think is cool.” So it does happen! User McChickeney really liked the emote, commenting “I am so glad to have the emote.” And user CappCabbage even uploaded a funny GIF of someone who is celebrating the receipt of the email. So some bottles are washing ashore, and that’s great. But the big question from the community was… Why not everybody?
This is where it gets interesting. One user with the handle GreatGrantsby_ threw a pretty pointed question: “does ‘If you get emails from us’ mean around 1/24 people who’ve opted-in have already gotten the code? Because that’s how it has been in our guilds.” Ouch. That’s indeed a specific ratio. And it indicates that maybe this giveaway is more selective than a random drawing. User VenomousSloth7 was even more direct, saying, “So it’s a giving time of year but not for everyone?” Which is the vibe that a lot of people are getting.
Then comes the conspiracy theory corner. JohnSmithnjxk replied to another commenter with a hint of disbelief, suggesting that the freebies are only for “the usual group of people who has connections within the team.” He even speculated on the game’s revenue, quipping, “Can’t be making enough money selling cookbooks to keep the doors open.” That’s a deep cut—a nod to the actual Sea of Thieves cookbook—and it shows how much players care about the game’s ecosystem. Ritz_Cracker11 supported this by saying that they have been on the email list forever but never received anything. So the mystery of the selection process segues deeper.
In the midst of the confusion, players are still maintaining their hopes and asking for the goodies. JavierTheCactus said, “Awesome! Can you give us a Santa hat for the holidays?” which is a pretty cool idea. BarleyGaming was hopeful, saying, “I hope mine is safe and sound with that smuggled stash you’re keeping.” Frankly, others like JoshBro73403140 took it humorously with a “Well maybe next year 😂.” This is the timeless blend of hope and resignation.
Moreover, it is impossible to have a Sea of Thieves thread without some legendary memes and references. 22Chrono dropped the iconic “the cake is a lie” quote, a Portal reference that remarkably sums up the situation of a promised reward that may not be delivered. JaxDemonGaming joked, “Did my kegging the ships not knowing I was there not get me an email:'(,” which is an example of pure pirate humor. MutinousMel shared a pictorial gag about “serving the flame,” tying it back to the game’s lore.
So what is the lesson learned here? Rare is trying to play nice with the Sea of Thieves community, which is great and all. Free stuff is always a win-win situation. But, the way it’s been rolled out surely has caused a bit of a stir with many players feeling left out—no, not that—more like a situation that might also interest fans of other platforms like PlayStation and Xbox.
