Update [Tue 13th Jun, 2023 09:05 BST]: Terrible Toybox's PR representative has reached out to Time Extension to clarify Ron Gilbert's comments on the forthcoming Sea of Thieves expansion, The Legend of Monkey Island:
Regarding your Sea of Thieves Monkey Island story, there was some ambiguity in Ron's Mastadon posts so we want to offer a clarification: Disney did give him a heads-up on the project as a courtesy, but the game was well into development at that point and he wasn't given the opportunity to be meaningfully involved. He cares deeply about Monkey Island and wishes the team at Rare well with the project.
Gilbert himself has also posted the following message on his Mastadon account:
Original Story [Mon 12th Jun, 2023 09:35 BST]: Yesterday's Xbox Showcase was packed with welcome surprises, one of which was the revelation that Rare is releasing a free expansion for Sea Of Thieves called The Legend of Monkey Island. The expansion will be released in three monthly instalments, with the first launching on 20th July.
This entirely new story will feature some famous Monkey Island characters (along with their iconic voice actors) and Rare states it has worked closely with Lucasfilm to make sure the tale is as authentic as possible. However, one person who isn't involved is series creator Ron Gilbert.
Asked on social media about the announcement, Gilbert replied:
Gilbert doesn't own the IP to Monkey Island, of course, but you'd think Lucasfilm would have at least reached out to him before the announcement; a Monkey Island with Gilbert's blessing is going to fare a lot better than one without. It's not like Gilbert is no longer involved with the series, either; he was the director of 2022's acclaimed Return to Monkey Island.
Here's a bit more info about The Legend of Monkey Island from Xbox Wire:
"Your adventures will have you meet Guybrush Threepwood, his beloved Elaine, the dreaded ghost captain LeChuck, Murray the Demonic Talking Skull and more iconic characters. You’ll get to visit freely explorable versions of both Mêlée Island and Monkey Island, solving puzzles in a point-and-click style adapted for Sea of Thieves first-person view – and it’ll all take place in the Sea of the Damned, so you’ll have no interruptions from other players as you relive the iconic series in a brand-new way."