Rare Ltd.

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UK Xbox studio enabling pirate capers in @seaofthieves.com. Also made some other games you might know.

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For this #FanArtFriday, we present a pair of certified baddies. Yes, that's definitely the right use of that word in 2026, and we won't hear any different. Both found on Tumblr, SeaOfThieves' Captain Flameheart comes from kokosnusslos while Gruntilda is the work of zeeladraws.

A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A piece of fan art shows a skeletal pirate captain, wearing bone-studded clothes, who has fire burning from within him. Text reads: Art by koko, tumblr.com/kokosnusslos.A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A piece of fan art shows a grinning green witch wearing a black hat and robe, as well as a striped two-tone purple scarf. Text reads: Art by Zee's Art Blog!, tumblr.com/zeeladraws.
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What's that coming over the hill, is it a monster? No, it's #FanArtFriday! How have jpgs gained the sentience/ momentum to achieve that? Don't question it, look: Viva Piñata Fudgehog by softieautumnpuppy and a sly SeaOfThieves pirate from _3vicky3_, both from Instagram! LOVELY!

A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A piece of fan art shows a colourful Fudgehog from Viva Piñata with an utterly adorable expression. Text reads: Art by Autumn, instagram.com/softieautumnpuppy.A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A piece of fan art shows line art of a Sea of Thieves pirate with a sly look on their face, peering to their right with mischief in their eyes. Text reads: Art by Vicky, instagram.com/_3vicky3_.
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Good week? Well it's about to get even better, because here's that #FanArtFriday post you've been waiting for! Oh yes you have. Just look at that Conker and Berri by HansCuff, and the superb @seaofthieves.com group from ArtsLupi, both of Twitter. LOVELY! Go and appreciate them, right now.

A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A piece of fan art shows Conker and Berri from Conker's Bad Fur Day posed next to each other. Text reads: Art by Hans-Cuff, @HansCuff.A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A piece of fan art shows three pirates and a parrot. Text reads: Art by LupiArts, @LupiArts.
@seaofthieves.comReposted by @rare.co.uk

Sea of Thieves is free to play from now until September 21st! To celebrate #TalkLikeAPirateDay, we're giving everyone the perfect playground in which to practise their piratical parlance, so invite friends and family, wherever they play, to join you and set sail!

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So, who's been hitting SharpClaws on the head this week? Anyone for the first time? We look back fondly on Star Fox Adventures - yes, even Prince Tricky - so it's great to see it on Nintendo Switch 2. Remember: you can activate widescreen in the options before you load a file!

A grubby looking Switch 2 is placed 'artistically' over blue and yellow sheets. The photographer has no ring light, this was actually a pain, don't be too harsh. Please. The dust just kept appearing.
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The piratey, Dream-inspired Banjo and Kazooie comes from Tumblr's MewyMarsher while the moody @seaofthieves.com Servant of the Flame is by VampFlore, also of the place named after a cup. And that's #FanArtFriday for another week, as time marches unstoppably on. Have a nice weekend!

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Football's done so let's get back to our regular, hashtag-mandated appreciation. #FanArtFriday this week comes from Twitter/X, with smashing Battletoads work by gaspitoon and a terrifying SeaOfThieves vision by Captain_Shadow8. Good Stuff, now have a Good Weekend, Or Else.

A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A piece of fan art features a colourful image of the Battletoads Pimple, Zits, and Rash, all rendered with big muscles and even bigger grins, somehow, all posing in front of a neon explosion. Text reads: Art by Gaspar F., @gaspitoon.A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A piece of fan art features a sketch of a gigantic Kraken head and tentacles emerging next to a Galleon, which is only about as big as the tip of one of the creatures appendages. Text reads: Art by Captain_Shadow, @Captain_Shadow8.
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Time to do the One Big Game thing again to raise more moolah for @specialeffect.org.uk! Over the next 24 hours, some of the best (or at least the most enthusiastic) UK game dev ball-booters will face off in the matches below. Tune in and learn how to donate: twitch.tv/Xbox

A schedule of the matches in One Big Game 2026. 3pm: Special Effect North vs. Special Effect South. 5pm: Leamington Select vs. Behaviour Interactive. 7pm: Activision vs. EA. 9pm: Jagex vs. Score More with Xbox. 11pm: Rare vs. Lighthouse. 1am: Order of Goals North vs. Order of Goals South. 3am: Maverick + Friends vs. Playground + Rare. 5am: Flix vs. Ubisoft + Playtonic. 7am: Game Industry North vs. Games Industry South. 9am: Rare vs. Order of Goals. 11am: Lucid vs. First Touch Games. 1pm: Women of Rare vs. Women of Playground.
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#FanArtFriday post! Pair from Instagram this week:
@seaofthieves.com scene by gutasvo.hms and Gruntilda puppet from scowlenes. If we could wish for anything, it would be more puppets. Well, if we could have anything, we'd probably wish for a curry, but more puppets is a close second.

A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A framed piece of art on the right shows a colourful painting of a pirate ship next to an island. The ship is white and black, with sails showing large skulls. Text reads: Art by Gustavo, instagram.com/gutasvo.hms.A cartoon fridge door with Fan Art Friday in colourful magnets. A framed photo on the right shows a large puppet of Gruntilda from Banjo-Kazooie, a green witch in black clothes with a large purple scarf. Text reads: Art by Scowlene, instagram.com/scowlenes.
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Conker: Live & Reloaded's marvellous fuzz launching on XBOX Backward Compatibility on PC last week led to
@steveburkemusic.bsky.social unearthing this recording session for the 2005 game, featuring young @robinbeanland.bsky.social own marvellous fuzz! Enjoy this rare peek behind the curtain...

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Now that the World Cup is over, we can finally announce this year's true major ball-punting event: One Big Game is back! After a year off, the @rare.co.uk-organised 24-hour games industry footy marathon returns August 13th-14th to raise more dosh for @specialeffect.org.uk. Details soon!