This week started with some sad news for gamers as Microsoft announced that it will end development for Fable Legends and may close Lionhead Studios in the UK, while also shuttering Press Play Studios in Denmark along with development for its Project Knoxville game. But British video game developer Rare is going forward with its upcoming Sea of Thieves game, and the studio just announced today a new contest to recruit a select group of fans that will get the chance to play the game first.
Sea of Thieves is an upcoming Xbox One and PC exclusive game that was first teased during E3 2015, and the game promises to be a first person pirate adventure game with opportunities for exploring jungles, roaming the high seas and enjoy multiplayer naval combat. Rare acknowledges that it gave us very few details about the game until now, but hopes this contest will generate buzz and excitement before the release. Rare’s community manager Bobby “Death Beard” Lamirande explained:
“Since we first announced this game at E3 in 2015, we’ve seen a load of passion and support from the community. Even with so few details available, it’s been clear that the promise of Sea of Thieves – being the pirate you want to be in a shared, fantastical world – is one that’s inspired and excited Rare and Xbox fans alike.
We’ve been incredibly humbled by the excitement we’ve seen thus far, and as we move forward, we’re committed to building strong relationships with our fans and players. We want fans to be at the centre of everything we do with Sea of Thieves. As such, we can’t imagine a better group of people to be the first in the world to play our game.”
So, the winners of this contest will enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to England including a visit to the studio, a meeting of the team and an exclusive hands-on time with the game. To enter, all you have to do is to create an image or video to share how excited you are for the upcoming game.
Here are the official rules to enter the contest (you can get a more detailed version here):
This needs to be a bespoke video or image created by you, which shows us how excited you are for the game. And we’re not looking for standard talk-to-camera stuff here, either. We’re looking for creative, unique entries. Show us your best pirate cosplay. Try building your own ship. Craft and wear the most elaborate and glorious fake beard you can think up. The more creative and entertaining your entry, the better chance you’ll have at winning.
Once you’ve created your image or video, there are a few ways to share it with us:
- Tweet a link to your image or video to @SeaOfThieves on Twitter, including #SeaOfThievesContest in the Tweet.
- Post a link to your image or video on our Facebook wall at Facebook.com/SeaOfThievesGame, including #SeaOfThievesContest in your post.
Be aware that the contest will close on April 26, and that should leave you enough time to make good use of your creativity if you plan to participate. Please tell us in the comments if you’re already preparing your pirate gear!