Indie pirate game overtakes Pragmata with swashbuckling Sea-of-Thieves-meets-Rust Steam Next Fest demo as devs celebrate 1 million wishlists: "A few weeks ago, we couldn't even have imagined this"

Windrose, a new pirate-themed open world survival crafting game that lets players fight on both land and sea, has overtaken Pragmata during Steam Next Fest with its free demo – and landed on over a million wishlists to boot.

Steam Next Fest is here, which means plenty of demo-shaped shenanigans are upon us as players discover what might just be their next favorite game – and I'd say Windrose will be that game for many folks, judging by how the event is going so far.

If you check the charts on Steam's official Next Fest page for all "popular upcoming" titles, you'll see Windrose sitting nicely at the top. Right behind it is none other than Capcom's own Pragmata.

It hasn't just overtaken the exciting AAA sci-fi adventure, though. The swashbuckling indie gem is celebrating over a million wishlists, too. A recent post from the developers proves as much, with the team outlining how grateful they are to fans for playing the demo and giving the game a wishlist.

"Windrose means the world to us, and we hope that, over time, it might come to mean something special to you, too," the studio writes.

Windrose: Steam Next Fest Trailer - YouTube

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"This past week has been a real whirlwind for our team with all the attention the game has been getting. And as the spotlight grows, so do expectations. We're working hard every day to live up to them. There's still a lot ahead of us, and honestly, it can feel a little scary at times. Our biggest goal is to ship a great game and let you be the judge. It may take time, but with your support, this journey becomes a lot easier (and a bit more swashbuckling, too)."

After expressing thanks to players once more, the devs conclude with a heartfelt statement: "A few weeks ago, we couldn't even have imagined this. And thanks to all of you, our game has now passed the 1,000,000+ wishlists mark. That's an incredible milestone, and a reminder of how much work we still have ahead. Thank you so much."

Incredible indeed, and seeing as the devs posted their message over the weekend, things have only gone up since then.

And, you know, Windrose has beaten out the likes of behemoths such as Pragmata. With its Sea of Thieves-esque charm and Rust-style survival gameplay, though, I'm not surprised at all – there aren't enough good pirate games out and about, if you ask me.

Looking for more? Stop and have a quick browse through our roundup of these other very exciting new games arriving this year and beyond.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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