Open World Pirate Game Windrose Hits Impressive Player Milestone

Okay, so I’ve been following this new MMO, Windrose, and it’s blown up. Seriously, over half a million players jumped in during its first two days! It’s made by a new studio, Kraken Express – it was originally called Crosswind when they first announced it way back in June 2025, but it’s been getting a lot of hype ever since. From what I’ve seen, it feels like the pirate adventure fans have been waiting for since Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, and honestly, with these launch numbers, it looks like it’s actually delivering on that promise. I’m definitely checking it out!

Even before its official launch, the open-world survival game Windrose was generating a lot of excitement. By late February 2026, it had reached over one million wishlists on Steam – an impressive number for a brand new game, particularly with so many other highly anticipated titles coming out that year. Now that the game has entered early access, it appears many of those interested players quickly purchased and started playing.

Windrose Has Already Passed 500,000 Players

On April 16th, the developers of Windrose announced that over 500,000 players had joined the game’s early access period. This is a significant achievement, especially since Windrose isn’t a free game. Considering it only launched into early access on April 14th, that number is likely to grow. Early players seem to be enjoying the game, as Windrose currently has a “Very Positive” rating on Steam. 87% of the 5,000+ reviews, across all languages, recommend the game.

Kraken Express’ first game is off to a strong start, building on earlier positive signs. The game’s free demo, Windrose, attracted almost 17,000 players even though it only offered a few hours of gameplay. An impressive 93% of those who tried the demo gave it a positive review, and that positive feedback continues with the full early access release. While reviews have become a bit more balanced with more players joining, the game remains very popular, with many calling it the pirate adventure fans have been hoping for.

The team behind Windrose (now known as Kraken Express) has been actively working to meet player expectations. After releasing a free demo, they committed to making improvements before the full early access launch, which allowed them to address potential issues early on. They’re still making changes – in fact, they recently thanked the over half a million players who have already started playing and announced a new hotfix coming this Friday, with more updates planned for the future.

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It’s still too early to say if Windrose will finally deliver the experience many hoped for in Skull and Bones, but initial reactions are very positive. The game is expected to be in development for another year and a half to two and a half years, so things could change before its official release. However, right now, Windrose looks promising for players who have been longing for a game like Black Flag.

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2026-04-16 18:43