In an agreement reached yesterday, Pirates of the Burning Sea will be published by Sony Online Entertainment’s Platform Publishing label.

"Pirates of the Burning Sea will feature action for every play style, whether it’s epic ship combat, piracy, building economic empires or sword-swinging adventure," says SOE.

Burning Sea takes place in the New World circa 1720, a dramatic time of conflict and riches. Choosing one of three allegiances – France, Spain, England - or none – players can set sail as a valiant naval officer, a devil-may-care privateer, a savvy merchant adventurer, or a fearless, rampaging pirate - with one thousand missions to play, dozens of ports to explore, and the entire Caribbean as their domain.

“Working with top notch developers like Flying Lab Software is at the heart of Platform Publishing’s mission to market and distribute a portfolio of games like Pirates of the Burning Sea that stand shoulder to shoulder with our SOE flagship franchises,” says David D Christensen, Vice President, Business Development and International Operations, Sony Online Entertainment.

Virtual buccaneers can engage in fierce ship-to-ship combat in real time, complete with the roar of cannonfire and the crunch of timber as masts and hulls are shattered, sending foes to the bottom of the briny deep or leaving them helpless and ripe for looting.

Pirate games aren’t complete without the clashing of swords and Pirates of the Burning Sea delivers with three swashbuckling styles, from the deadly and formal Fencing, to the flashy dual-wielding Florentine, or the rowdy and treacherous Dirty Fighting. The combat system is fast and fluid with powerful finishing moves.

Pirates of the Burning Sea also features an economy completely run by players, who build their own empires across the Caribbean. Build your own forges, quarries, and rum distilleries and manage large-scale production and distribution in a cutthroat world of gold and galleons where profits are the dream and desperate measures the reality.

The game's Conquest system turns any port into a battleground, as rival players rack up points through Player v Environment missions and combat culminating in a period of intense Player v Player gameplay to determine who takes the port - and the valuable resources it provides for economic gameplay. If you want the cannons, you have to capture the iron, making the Conquest system something that impacts the career of every player.