Co-op pirate survival game Windrose breaks 1.5 million Steam wishlists, and good news for everyone who's added it to their list: It's coming out next week

Windrose - Early Access Release Date Trailer | The Triple-i Initiative - YouTube

It was just over a month ago that Windrose Crew asked for more time to cook on their upcoming pirate survival game Windrose, because despite rolling out a new trailer they just weren't ready to announce a release date. But that was then and this is now, and now, courtesy of an appearance at today's Triple-I showcase, we know that Windrose will sail into early access on April 14.

Windrose takes what its developers call "the classic 'build, craft, survive' formula" into an alt-history Age of Piracy, filled with "vast procedurally generated biomes filled with hidden mysteries, hand-crafted dungeons and quests." It's playable solo or with up to four co-op cohorts, but it's no Sea of Thieves: Apart from its more lifelike visual style, Windrose promises "intense combat and engaging exploration on land and sea," with resources to be gathered, bases to be built, NPCs to be hired, and a settlement to grow.

Despite the disappointing lack of hurdy-gurdy and celebratory vomit, Windrose made a very big impression on PC Gamer pioneer pirate Chris Livingston, who played seven hours of the demo and came away wanting more. And he's far from the only one: After surpassing one million Steam wishlists in February, Windrose Crew says that figure is now over 1.5 million, which according to SteamDB's calculations make it one of the most-wishlisted games on Steam.

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If you're not among those who have listed, you can take care of that now on Steam or the Epic Games Store. The demo that made such an impression on Chris is also still up on both platforms, so you can give that a spin first if you're not quite ready to commit.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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