Ron Gilbert didn’t know about Sea of Thieves’ Monkey Island crossover

The last Sea of ​​thieves extension of the story, The Legend of Monkey Island, departs on June 20, but it seems someone forgot to mention this to Ron Gilbert, lead developer and writer of the Monkey Island series. According to a Mastodon thread, Gilbert was not notified of the development of this upcoming story, stating, “It hasn’t even been told. It happened behind my back.”

Although Gilbert is credited as the creator of the classic adventure game series, it is owned by the Monkey Island franchise technically belongs to Lucasfilm and Disney, who are not required to ask Gilbert’s permission.

While the lack of communication on Disney’s part is disappointing, according to one Eurogamer report, Sea of ​​thieves developer Terrible Toybox has stated that “Disney let him know about the project as a courtesy, but the game was well into development at the time and he wasn’t given a chance to be meaningfully involved.”

This isn’t the first time the Monkey Island series has left port without its captain. The Curse of Monkey Island, Escape from Monkey IslandAnd Monkey Island Storiesall were developed without Gilbert at the helm, but were created with his insider knowledge.

Regardless of who’s to blame here, it’s kind of sad to see the series creator sidelined in what otherwise seems like a fitting homage to slapstick on the high seas.

The reveal trailer, which was part of the June 11 Xbox Showcase, shows off a recreation of Mêlée Island, complete with nods to the franchise’s iconic items, locations, and characters.