The Pirates of the Burning Sea team has launched a Referral Program that allows you to invite friends to play the game, and then earn rewards when they go on to spend money in the free-to-play MMO. Here are the details:

"The rewards are in the form of Burning Sea Points. The number of points that you earn depends on how many friends you have referred and how much money they spend. At first you’ll earn 50 BSP per friend who buys a BSN, however as you refer more and more people the rewards will increase up to 250 BSP per referral. You can see a full chart of rewards on your referral program page. For friends who go on to join the Captain’s Club you’ll earn 500 BSP, regardless of whether they’ve purchased Notes or not.

You’ll also earn the in-game title “Best Friends Forever” when a friend starts playing, as will every friend that you refer."

After a four-month hiatus, Flying Lab Software has released Pirates of the Burning Sea podcast episode 14. In the latest podast, the team discusses fishing, the upcoming referral program, griefing, ship tuning and society tools.

If you don't have time to listen to the podcast, you can skim through the transcript for all of the information. CEO Russell "Rusty" Williams lets listeners know that Flying Lab is hiring, so check out the jobs page for the current vacancies.

Angling will be coming to Pirates of the Burning Sea in patch 2.6, which means you'll soon be able to catch some fish while killing time around the docks. Here are the details from a new blog entry:

"Starting with 2.6, every port will have several places to cast a line and fish. Each of the game’s nine geographic regions will feature some species variation (some species being rarer than others), and a fishmonger will be standing by in every port to exchange your catches for a variety of new consumables and fittings. The crème de la crème, however, are the region-exclusive Trophy Fish… we have some special things planned for them! (/cryptic statement)"

New items will include two different rods, as well as baits and lures. You will also be able to purchase some other tackle options in the Treasure Aisle shop.

As Producer Michelle "Misha" Williams recently mentioned, the new Angling system will be available for preview on the 2.5 Testbed soon.

Pirates of the Burning Sea patch 2.5 will hit the Testbed this week, and Producer Michelle "Misha" Williams has outlined what players can expect to see in the update. Perhaps the biggest news is that players will be able to purchase society and character renames in Treasure Aisle. Also, the simple pipe and cat pet will be added to the shop.

A prototype of the new fishing feature will be available on the 2.5 Testbed, but the full version won't arrive until patch 2.6. For more details, read Williams' entire blog entry.

Spring has arrived in Pirates of the Burning Sea, and the team is celebrating with new pets, new clothes, a starter pack for new players and free career and swashbuckling respecs for Captain's Club members.

Players can pick up new variations of the dog follow pet and some colorful frogs in Treasure Aisle, as well as some new sashes and rings. The above images provide a glimpse of these items in action.

New players many want to check out the Starter Pack, which contains "a Lt. Commission ally to help you in combat, bonus XP books to get your leveling underway, and bonus Doubloon and Loot books to begin building your fortune. Deck out your ship with Novice Ship Bundles and complete your captain ensemble with the exclusive Hook Hand."

2010 was a big year for Pirates of the Burning Sea. The game released their first major expansion, Power & Prestige, and went free-to-play. Producer Michelle "Misha" Williams has come across the same question over and over again: what's next?

In this latest Producer's letter, Williams details what's to come for Pirates fans. Some of the areas covered include society improvements, tuning, Captain's Club value, Treasure Aisle content, and of course, new content. Williams says:

"As always, it’s tough juggling the balance between new features, new content, tuning, and bug fixes."

Read the full letter over at the Pirates of the Burning Sea official site.

With the launch of today's patch, players can now celebrate Mardi Gras in Pirates of the Burning Sea! For a limited time, a peacock follow pet is available, as are Mardi Gras masks, a hat and a vest. As far as festive mission content is concerned, players can enter Mardi Gras Bayou between Biloxi and New Orleans. Just talk to the Mysterious Harlequin in starter towns and capitals for more information.

The patch also includes a variety of other updates, such as additions to Treasure Aisle, a new Swashbuckling command skill, bug fixes and more. Check out the full patch notes for all the changes.

SOE Podcast Episode 103 has been released, and this one focuses on Valentine's Day. In addition to the seasonal discussion, Pirates of the Burning Sea Design Department Lead Declan O’Connell stops by to talk about the free-to-play game.

Also, host Aimee “Ashlanne” Rekoske and co-host Linda “Brasse” Carlson discuss Plants vs. Zombies and the new SOE Universal Game Cards.

As always, Jason “Pex” Ryan joins the podcast to bring us the latest updates on many SOE titles. Head over to the SOE Podcast site to download the episode or subscribe through the iTunes store.

In the latest Pirates of the Burning Sea dev blog, Producer Michelle "Misha" Williams delves into the process of what went on behind the scenes to make the game free to play. Follow Williams as she gives a history of the game and explains what went right and what went wrong in the process.

Taking a game over to F2P is no weekend task. The game went F2P back in November 2010. PotBS also just celebrated their 3-year anniversary in January 2011. The game has been constantly updated with new content, including the special anniversary pets. Williams says:

"This whole process has gone from stressful, confusing, and exhausting to really fun and exciting. I can’t wait to release some of the fun stuff in future milestones, including the shoulder monkey which is available in Testbed’s Treasure Aisle right now!"

Read more about the process in the latest dev blog over at the PotBS official site.

Pirates of the Burning Sea turned three years old on Jan. 22, and Flying Lab Software CEO Russell "Rusty" Williams decided to mark the occasion by looking at the past, present and future of the game. Williams explains that the game has been a part of his life for almost a decade and mentions the major changes that have been implemented over the years, including the move to free-to-play.

Flying Lab is celebrating the anniversary in-game with a special mission and two limited-edition pets: a black cockatoo and a monkey in a top hat (see above). The team is currently working on the next major patch, which will be a holiday update to celebrate Mardi Gras.

You can read Williams' entire letter after the jump. Happy anniversary, Pirates of the Burning Sea!