When Sea of Thieves was gearing up for release this week, it was backed by both skepticism and hope. Some weren't impressed by the Beta, but believed that it had potential. Others understood the importance of the title and had reason to believe in it.

More than anything, to the Xbox brand this is a hallmark release. Microsoft's platform doesn't necessarily have a lot of exclusive releases this year (that we know of). Additionally, this is only the second time Rare Ltd. has been free to make a big budget game in over a decade (the other being Killer Instinct). This was an opportunity for Rare Ltd. to put itself back on the map.

Now that Sea of Thieves is officially out reviews are starting to trickle in, and to put it simply things aren't so positive. Currently standing at a 67 Metascore, it's treading water in The Order: 1886 territory. Yikes.

This isn't to say that it's a bad game. In-fact, quite a few people are enjoying the early portion of the experience. After all, how often does a pirate game with a sandbox environment hit store shelves? Never? If nothing else it's a nice change of pace from the usual AAA release schedule.

The biggest complaint is just that it doesn't have enough content to warrant playing it beyond the first few hours. The gameplay loop is really just as simple as heading out to sea, getting into a ship fight with someone else, and then hoping your ship doesn't sink. And don't even think about doing it alone; most players regard this as a game where playing with friends is mandatory to realize any of its potential.

"Jack of many trades, master of none. Sea of Thieves has a beautiful, wide ocean to explore. It's too bad that it feels about as deep as a puddle.", says Attack of the Fanboy. Meanwhile, CGMagazine describes it as "a game that should be offered for $10–$20 tops as an early access or game preview product."

Some reviews are veering into 5/10 territory, which is downright surprising for a game that built this much hype and had this much going for it. Hopeful Xbox gamers are wishing that the dozens of reviews yet to be published are more positive.

Users have added their take on the game experience after a couple days of playing, and generally speaking they're  right in-line with critics, calling it a neat idea that needs way more content.

And then there's this:

And this is the most disappointing part of it all. Xbox has undoubtedly had a stormy last few years, and at this point is desperately in need of a big new IP. Halo and Gears of War are downtrending, Quantum Break underperformed, and Forza can only do so much with annual releases.

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Sea of Thieves isn't necessarily dead in the water, its crater-sized holes can be patched up provided Rare Ltd. can deliver well-received content updates in a short manner. But for now things are looking turbulent at sea, and Xbox is continuing to lose valuable market share to its competitors.