Australian Sea of Thieves players can have a real pirate band serenade them

If you've pondered whether or not to arrange a real pirate-themed band to accompany you on your Sea of Thieves voyage, then you're among a small minority. A small, weird minority. But not so weird that Microsoft isn't setting up exactly that situation for its Australian userbase.

Because not only are there actual, gigging pirate-themed bands in Australia (this one is called Captain Hellfire & The Wretched Brethren), but they've also got access to livestreaming services. "Fans of the game will be able to play through the game with Captain Hellfire from the comfort of their own couch (or crow’s nest) via livestreamed sessions," Microsoft's press release says, "as the band creates personalised pirate songs (AKA shanties) based on what’s happening in the game in real time."

This pirate group obviously won't be offering its services to every single Sea of Thieves player in the country. So if you're keen you'll have to book a (free) ticket. Sign-ups were meant to go live at midday but they haven't yet, so best keep an eye on the Xbox ANZ Facebook page.

Dubbed the "Sing us a Shanty" service, the actual singing and playing will occur on March 24 and 25, for those lucky / brave enough to secure a ticket. As for those who don't, the ensuing comedy will stream on Xbox ANZ Mixer, Facebook and Twitch. And in case you need it specified: yes, this all applies to Windows 10 users, too.

For those wondering what a pirate-themed band sounds like:

Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

Latest in Action
gta 6 trailer
Publishers 'don't want to be anywhere near' Grand Theft Auto 6 when it launches: 'It's proving to be very stressful'
An image of a Helldiver from Helldivers 2 shooting at a red dragon from Dungeons & Dragons.
'Ok, so dragon builds are a thing now': galaxy-brained Helldivers 2 player incinerates a bile titan with a hover pack and a flamethrower
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft scores a legendary ratio against Elon Musk on his own platform—which hopefully marks a final end to all the Assassin's Creed Shadows' culture war nonsense
Assassin's Creed Shadows immersive mode - Naoe holding a tanto in her hand as two guards fall to the ground behind her.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first hotfix addresses stability issues and a photo mode crash
A plastic duck dressed like a circus weightlifter
The 5th highest-rated game on Steam in 2022 is back with a multiplayer sequel
Ragnarok Battle Offline
After punishing my graphics card with Monster Hunter Wilds, I've returned to the rock-solid frame rates of my old hunting grounds: Windows XP
Latest in News
Monster Hunter Wilds' stockpile master studying a manifest
As layoffs and studio closures continue to deathroll the western AAA industry, analyst points out 5 of 8 major Japanese companies hit all-time share prices this year
A woman wearing a VR headset with dramatic, colourful lighting across the background
'World’s smallest LEDs' could lead to accurately lit screens with 127,000 pixels per inch and much more immersive VR
The NES themed 8BitDo Retro mechanical gaming keyboard on a blue background
I love the 8BitDo Retro C64 keyboard but I'd pick its cheaper NES-themed model near its lowest price ever during Amazon's Big Spring Sale
gta 6 trailer
Publishers 'don't want to be anywhere near' Grand Theft Auto 6 when it launches: 'It's proving to be very stressful'
Microsoft's iconic Bliss wallpaper
From pixels to pinot: The Windows XP 'Bliss' wallpaper hill was real and this is what it looks like now
A female Zoi making two hearts with her fingers.
Following 24 hours of Denuvo-based backlash, Inzoi is taking a surprising step and removing it entirely: 'We want to sincerely apologise for not aligning more closely with player expectations'