Rare's colourful pirate adventure Sea of Thieves has been delayed.

Originally pencilled in for a 2016 release, the game will now make its Xbox One debut in 2017.

According to Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg, who told Kinda Funny Games that Sea of Thieves will launch in the same window as Halo Wars 2 - which comes out next February.

"This is our biggest games lineup we've ever had over the next year. As a first-party we will publish and release more games and more exclusives than we ever have. 

"So we're kind of hitting that sweet spot in the generation where the content is just coming, and coming really strong."

Sea of Thieves, Rare, Xbox Onepinterest

Sea of Thieves is an online multiplayer game where you play as a pirate with a group of mates attempting to sail the seas on a huge ship. But in order to have any success whatsoever, you'll need to take on different roles, or at least be aware of everything that needs doing as you roam the big blue. 

There's the anchor, the height and angle of the sails, the direction of the wind, the position of the ship, the firing of the cannons and the repairs you'll need to make sharpish if you get hit by an enemy's cannon fire.