Rare has confirmed that Sea of Thieves will not sell loot boxes through its premium shop.

Set to launch for Xbox One and Windows 10 on March 20, 2018, a recent datamine into the game’s beta files discovered a premium marketplace.

This immediately caused concern amongst fans that Rare had plans to implement loot boxes and similar microtransactions into the game.

Speaking to US Gamer, Rare has said it will introduce in-game purchases to Sea of Thieves months after launch, but they will focus primarily on the ‘social side of things.’

“After a few months, this is when we want to be rolling out the first expansions for the game,” says executive producer Joe Neate. “When we bring in our first major update, that’s when we want to add the option for players to spend money, if they want.”

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These optional items will come in the form of pets that will be available a few months after lunch. They won’t lock players out, either. If one crew member has a monkey and you don’t, feel free to pick it up and treat it as your own.

Rare also said its primary goal following launch is to provide players with new content, whether it be through fully-fledged expansions or smaller updates.

“Our main post launch goal is giving captain options for pirate legends. We want to make sure we’re enriching the experience for everyone, so new merchants, trading posts, and trading companies,” Neate says.

Sea of Thieves will also be the first of many Microsoft exclusives to be available through Game Pass at launch, meaning members of the service can pick it up for a significantly lower price.

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We recently had a play of Sea of Thieves during its open beta and came away quite impressive by its gorgeous visuals and manic multiplayer.

Rare’s recent comments also alleviate some of the concerns we have about its content variety, too:

“Sea of Thieves is unlike anything I’ve ever played. It offers a multiplayer experience that’s both unpredictable and hilarious with moments that had me cheering in triumph one minute and in hysterical laughter the next.”

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