Rare Limited, the studio behind Sea of Thieves is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and the Xbox-owned studio has partnered with 8BitDo to launch a limited edition controller. The controller is also 8BitDo’s first wireless controller for Xbox consoles.
Rare Limited, the Xbox-owned studio behind popular games such as Banjo Kazooie and Sea of Thieves is celebrating its 40th anniversary. To mark the milestone, the studio has announced merchandise based on some of its titles including a limited edition 8BitDo controller which is also 8BitDo’s first 2.4GHz wireless Xbox controller.
The new controller, which is officially called the 8BitDo Ultimate 3-mode Controller – Rare 40th Anniversary Edition, is based on the 8BitDo Ultimate 3-mode Controller. The two controllers even have the same model number, and of course, identical features.
However, unlike the latter which only works with supported Xbox consoles via a wired connection, this special edition can connect to the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles wirelessly via the included 2.4GHz adapter. It is also compatible with Windows, Android, and Apple devices.
The 8BitDo Ultimate 3-mode Controller – Rare 40th Anniversary Edition has a blue color with yellow shoulder buttons, triggers, and back buttons. It also has markings from Sea of Thieves and Banjo Kazooie and a golden metal tactile D-pad. The controller comes with a matching charging dock which has a compartment for the 2.4GHz adapter. It also comes with two custom joycaps.
The new controller is available to purchase now from 8BitDo’s eShop and Amazon for $89.99, a $20 increase from the standard edition.
In addition to a new controller, Microsoft has revealed that the latest season of Sea of Thieves, which will arrive on August 14 will come with 40th anniversary bundle cosmetics including a Rare Ruby Eyepatch. Players will also be able to get a Rare Ruby Hat when they spend select Ancient Coin packs that were acquired by spending Microsoft Reward Points. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will also be able to claim an exclusive Rare Ruby Emote.
Evercade has also announced that it will release a collection of 12 classic Rare games that include titles such as Jetpac, Atic Atac, Knight Lore, Pro-Am, Cobra Triangle, and arcade versions of Battletoads. Pre-orders for the collection will begin on the 30th of September.
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Habeeb Onawole – Magazine Writer – 783 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2023
I love writing about consumer technology and have written thousands of articles that help people make informed decisions or get the best out of their devices. When I am not working, I am catching up on movies and TV shows or logging in hours on my Nintendo Switch or PlayStation.
Habeeb Onawole, 2025-08- 4 (Update: 2025-08- 4)
