While Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is still months away (launching July 9), another pirate game has quietly stolen the spotlight. Windrose, an open‑world survival title that launched on April 14, has already surpassed over one million sales in its first week. Players are calling it the pirate experience that Skull and Bones should have been, and now the developer is rewarding that success with free DLC and a long‑term roadmap.
Free Content This Week, More to Come
In the short term, Windrose developer Kraken Express is focusing on bug fixes and quality‑of‑life improvements. But the first content drop is arriving later this week: new building pieces for players to expand their seafaring bases. That’s a modest addition, but it’s free – and it’s just the beginning.
The studio has much bigger ambitions. A proper roadmap will be shared in the coming months, but one major expansion has already been teased: the Ashlands biome. This entirely new region will offer fresh environments, resources, and challenges. The catch? It’s not expected for at least six months. That’s a long wait, especially with Black Flag Resynced launching in July, but Kraken Express has confirmed that all planned expansions will be free.
A Surprise Hit
Windrose’s success has taken many by surprise. According to SteamDB, the game peaked at 222,134 concurrent players shortly after launch, and it’s maintaining a healthy player base – the last 24‑hour peak was over 131,000. For a survival game from a smaller studio, those numbers are impressive.
Fans have been vocal about their love for the game, with many comparing it favorably to Ubisoft’s troubled Skull and Bones. “This is what we wanted all along,” one Steam reviewer wrote. The mix of ship customization, exploration, and base building seems to have struck a chord.
Also, Read
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The Black Flag Shadow
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced remains the heavyweight contender, promising a faithful remake with new missions, parkour updates, and dynamic weather. But it’s also missing features that Windrose offers – notably multiplayer, which was cut from the remake. For players who want to sail with friends, Windrose is currently the better choice.
Whether Windrose can retain its player base for six months until the Ashlands arrive is an open question. A lot can change, especially when a beloved classic like Black Flag returns. But for now, Kraken Express has proven that there’s room for more than one pirate on the high seas.
Windrose is available now on PC (Steam), with console versions expected later. The new building pieces arrive this week, and the Ashlands DLC is planned for late 2026 – free for all players.