We're putting an end to the news spam and leaving this page behind. The Sea Dogs series is taking a big leap forward, and we are ready to explore the new world. We don't know what awaits us there, but the hope of making a proper Sea Dogs re-launch on a modern engine such as Unreal Engine surely drives us forward. This is one final push with the Storm engine, and then we're there.
ːjollyrːThis is one of the biggest visual leaps Sea Dogs series ever had. We've revamped over 200 textures along with the Global Map - most of the work involved manual reimagining of textures that hadn't been updated since the 2000s. The effort has started not so long ago, so we are definetely planning to bring more in the post release era.
Take a look for yourself and don't forget to watch in fullscreen and 2K.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9InsWxBoTg
ːjollyrːOwners of the Exclusive Edition will get the pre-release access and the opportunity to experience everything for themselves tomorrow. If you haven't secured your copy yet, fear not! Feb 8th marks the beginning of the final round of sales for the Exclusive Edition and it will last until Feb 17th.
Good hunting, pirates ːauthorityː
Demo Update and Free Steam Keys!
Ahoy!
As Steam Next Fest approaches and the release date draws near (Caribbean Legend becomes available on February 15th), we have some exciting updates to share:
ːjollyrː We've made significant improvements to the demo, addressing all major stability issues identified so far, and we've raised the level cap to 10. This means you can enjoy at least eight hours of gameplay!
Please note that while the demo doesn't feature updated textures (which is a significant update), the story mode, or a substantial portion of the full release content, it still provides the ultimate pirate freeplay experience!
ːjollyrː We'll be discontinuing the demo permanently on February 12th, making way for Caribbean Legend: Sandbox – a free version of the game with no level cap whatsoever.
ːjollyrː To celebrate, we've organized a Steam key giveaway for the full version of the game! Participating is easy – simply download the demo, play the game, capture a screenshot, share it on Twitter using the hashtags #caribbeanlegend and #SteamNextFest, and don't forget to tag @ValkyrieInitia1.
Once Steam Next Fest concludes, we'll select three lucky participants who will receive a complimentary Steam key! This is the second and the last free giveaway we are doing for Caribbean Legend.
ːjollyrː 10 days until the release! Caribbean Legend sets sail on February 15th, with a $24.99 price tag after the release discount. Normally, we would offer a 10% or 15% discount for a week, but we're giving all Sea Dogs and Open World RPG fans a chance to snag the best deal possible – a 25% discount for two whole weeks!
ːjollyrː We will also be adjusting prices for different regions of the world, ensuring fair pricing according to local spending power.
ːjollyrː Important reminder: Exclusive Edition owners will enjoy pre-release access on February 8th. This edition boasts a ton of unique content, and your last chance to acquire it will be from the 8th to the 17th of February. Hop aboard our Discord to ensure you don't miss the ship on this final opportunity!
Good hunting, pirates. ːauthorityː
Demo is go!
Ahoy!
Gun crews - at the ready! Board the Steam page of Caribbean Legend and download the demo now!
This is a slice of the full game, still in development, therefore it might not display the target release quality. New textures, a 200-hour storyline, and most of the new content will be available closer to February 8th for owners of the Exclusive Pre-Order. The global release is set for February 15th!
Have a great sail and please share any feedback either here, on Steam, or on our official Discord server. Good hunting! ːjollyrː
P.S. The next batch of Exclusive Edition Steam keys will be available for purchase from February 8th to February 17th.
Caribbean Legend: Sandbox - Free Sea Dogs Game
Ahoy!
We're thrilled to bring you our most significant update yet! As the release approaches, let's adhere to the Navy code (if there is one) and keep this announcement brief.
ːjollyrːWe will release two big titles in February. ːjollyrːCaribbean Legend: Sandbox is a free game featuring the Sandbox mode (aka Freeplay) with no limitations.
See ye'all and let the gun crews do their godly work on February 13th and February 15th! ːjollyrː
Sold Out
I think we overdid it a bit and sold all the keys out in a day! Contrary to popular belief, Sea Dogs are officially back. Thank you, pirates, traders, privateers and Navy officers.
Couple of important notes:
1. The owners of the Early Access Edition are already enjoying Caribbean Legend.
2. The owners of the Exclusive Edition will be able to play it one week earlier the official Steam release - on Feb 8th. Please be ye warned, that it won't be an automatic process and each will be granted an access manually. My fault really, I should have thought about the process more thoroughly. Now we have over 300 people in the waitlist, so you can imagine my dread. With all that in mind, please keep an eye out for updates on our official Discord server.
If Discord isn't your preferred platform, you can also find updates on Patreon and Steam,
3. The next batch of Exclusive Edition keys, complete with all its perks and content, will become available on Feb 8th. Please understand that our intention isn't to appear greedy; it was simply a less-than-optimal way I personally chose to organize this.
4. Next big thing is scheduled for Jan 15th, so stay tuned.
See y'all at the sea very soon!
Pre-order, Rewards, Early Access and Freeplay
Ahoy, Sea Dogs fans!
We're thrilled to share some exciting updates with you as we approach the game's release in just a little over a month. This year is shaping up to be an incredible one for the Sea Dogs series!
ːjollyrː We've just received another batch of pre-order Steam keys, with over 60 keys available for our Exclusive and Early Access Editions. And they are almost sold out again. ːjollyrːWe added the Freeplay mode in the game, allowing you to choose characters to play and free roam the Caribbean. ːjollyrːSteam Deck is most likely to be fully supported. ːjollyrːThe game is available to play right now.
Next big thing is in a week, Jan 15th! See you soon, pirates! ːauthorityː
Pre-oder, Rewards, Early Access and Freeplay
Ahoy, Sea Dogs fans!
We're thrilled to share some exciting updates with you as we approach the game's release in just a little over a month. This year is shaping up to be an incredible one for the Sea Dogs series!
ːjollyrː We've just received another batch of pre-order Steam keys, with over 60 keys available for our Exclusive and Early Access Editions. And they are almost sold out again. ːjollyrːWe added the Freeplay mode in the game, allowing you to choose characters to play and free roam the Caribbean. ːjollyrːSteam Deck is most likely to be fully supported. ːjollyrːThe game is available to play right now.
Next big thing is in a week, Jan 15th! See you soon, pirates! ːauthorityː
Must Read
Ahoy!
Caribbean Legend is the unique game you've been longing for.
Now, that must have gotten your attention! But first things first. We'll be summarizing the Steam page release and launching the next big thing this Sunday. After that, it's crunch time until February 15th, 2024.
The theme of today's episode is to tell you why you need Caribbean Legend.
When the trailer launched, it became apparent that everyone had different expectations for the game. Some thought it was merely a significant paid patch for To Each His Own, and we exceeded their expectations. Others expected an entirely new game on a different engine and were left disappointed. It's our fault; we should have explained things better and shown you more.
Our to-do list before the release includes:
Sharing the full changelog this Sunday.
Launching a free demo in February.
Creating another trailer.
Allowing unlimited streaming.
All of this means that you'll have all the information you need to make your own decision about purchasing the game.
But regardless of the decision you make, this release won't go unnoticed by you because we all share the same pain: there are not many games like this on the market.
A long time ago, my mom bought me Sea Dogs. "Oh, it looks cool, give it a try," she said. I wasn't entirely convinced, as Cossacks was the other option, and I was always a fan of the RTS genre. In the end, she bought me both games, but it was Sea Dogs that left a lasting mark on me.
During the first 20 hours, I struggled desperately and remained on the starting ship, a Pinc, I think. But at one point, something miraculous happened: I leveled up when I accidentally won my first boarding and the game allowed me to change my ship to a Lugger. I believe it was not far from Shark Island.
That dose of dopamine changed me, and since then, I've always had this Sea Dogs fever:
I spent days downloading endless mods for PoTC and bragged to other school kids that I was a programmer.
I frequented Seaward, PA! and other Sea Dogs websites that were popping up like mushrooms back then. I got trolled super hard there for asking dumb questions. Nevertheless, I kept coming back for more.
On New Year's Eve, when a girl visited me from another city, I had her play CoAS all night.
And then, I met this guy, made a career in gamedev, released or published dozens of games, and well, here we are.
I'm sharing this because I want you to see why I've longed so much to understand why the *Sea Dogs series* left such a mark on us. I've had long conversations with fans and industry veterans, and I think I've finally figured it out. It wasn't the series that drove us crazy; it was the genre.
Not the brilliant music, not the modding scene or childhood nostalgia. Not even the Caribbean setting.
It was a unique genre that got us. There are almost no games in the world with so many working game systems:
Combat at sea.
Land combat.
Exploration on land.
Global map.
RPG system.
Dialogues.
Companions and love interests.
Linear and generated quests.
A deep narrative with choices and consequences.
Loot, collectibles, and crafting.
Building and management.
Take any modern open-world Action/RPG, and it may excel in some aspects from that list, but it will never have everything. Even if it does, it won't work seamlessly.
And that's what pains us. These are the types of games we want to play, but all we have are the *Sea Dogs series* and global mods for other games. Mount & Blade. Kenshi, maybe? And now, Caribbean Legend is about to join the ranks.
Let me reiterate - there are almost no games like that on the market. Games that we desire. Games that provide the true freedom of choice that game marketers have been promising for the past 25 years.
Sure, there are mods. Not just Sea Dogs mods, but mods in general. Some of the global ones offer more content and mechanics than *Caribbean Legend* and most open-world RPGs out there. However, they can't reach a wide audience for various reasons and thus remain niche. We play them, but we can't simply go to Steam, press the purchase button, and immediately get a polished product.
The original Sea Dogs: TEHO, which forms the core of Caribbean Legend, is exactly the same. Bugs, lack of localizations, unnecessary hardcore elements, a steep difficulty curve, and a lack of promotion prevented it from reaching a wide audience. It's a great game but a poor product.
We want to fix that. Bring TEHO to the peak of its potential. Keep the series' veterans happy and open the game to a new audience. For the former, we have new content and plenty of reasons to replay; for the latter, we have polishing, a proper difficulty curve, translations, tweaked visuals, and marketing.
Regardless of which group you belong to, every release like this is a significant event that should not be ignored. Caribbean Legend's success or failure will be observed by the market, and it's up to you to ensure we have more games like this in the future.
I have 2000 hours in TEHO and another couple of thousand in other Sea Dogs games. And still, the first thing I'll do on February 15th is start a new playthrough as a gamer, not a developer. Because there are very few games like this out there. And that pains me.
Discord Server
First Stream is starting soon!
Ahoy!
Starting in a an hour! Follow this link and hit the notification bell, so you won’t miss it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXV5TA78fdQ
… and a reminder that we released a powerful announcement trailer yesterday. Enjoy and check out the description for the new Steam Page and more!
