Sega is giving UK fans of its upcoming Persona-esque role-playing game Metaphor ReFantazio the chance to become a member of the royal family of the world's smallest (but unofficially recognized) country: Sealand.
Where to begin... Metaphor ReFantazio arrives from the creators of Persona 3, 4, and 5 on October 11 as a fantasy RPG with themes of royal families and knights and so on. To celebrate, publisher Sega is hosting a competition that gives one fan a royal title of their own.
"Sega has created a new and never to be repeated noble title: Hand to the Sovereign Prince of Sealand," it boasted.
The Principality of Sealand is a sea fort turned country off the coast of England with a population of one. Not one million or 100,000 thousand, but one. Originally built during World War 2, the decommissioned fort was occupied in 1967 by Paddy Roy Bates after he claimed it from a group of pirate radio broadcasters to begin a pirate radio himself.
Bates declared the fort, which is basically just a platform in the middle of the sea, an independent nation. He occupied it until his death in 2012, and since then Sealand has been occupied by either Roy's family or their associates.
Though not recognised by any world government, Sealand claims it has been recognised by the UK via a court ruling and by Germany, which sent a diplomat to it. At the very least, it has a Guinness World Record as "the smallest area to lay claim to nation status."
It is this country's royal family that Sega is offering a Metaphor ReFantazio fan a position in. The winner will become Hand to the Sovereign Prince of Sealand. The prince is otherwise known as Liam Bates, and he doesn't actually live there.
"When my grandfather founded Sealand in the 1960s, one of his first actions was to bestow the title of Princess Joan on my grandmother," Bates said. "In the more than five decades since, we’ve established several noble titles, but never a Hand to the Prince.
"We’ve achieved a lot as the world’s smallest nation but this partnership with Sega and Atlus to create a one off title marks our first foray into the world of video games, and it’s a venture future Sealand royals will look back on with pride."
The prize includes more than just the official title, however. Winners will also get a taxi paid to their nearest train station, two return train tickets (but not first class) to Harwich, a two night stay in a Harwich hotel (room service not included), and a speedboat trip out to Sealand. The trip isn't available on Valentine’s Day, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Easter, or bank holidays.
Once at Sealand, the lucky winner will have the title bestowed on them with an authentic registration deed from the government of Sealand.
To enter, fans must follow Sega and Atlus West on X/Twitter or Instagram and create a short video explaining why they deserve to be the Hand to the Sovereign Prince of Sealand. "All entries with music in the background will not be accepted," Sega assured.
Metaphor ReFantazio puts players "in The United Kingdom of Euchronia, where the assassination of the king brings chaos and unrest to the land," per its story synopsis. "Then, one fateful day, a magic known only to the king called the Royal Magic is invoked, and the world becomes embroiled in a royal tournament for the throne.
"In the midst of this, the protagonist, together with his partner, the fairy Gallica, must find a way to break the curse that has been placed on the prince that the kingdom believes to be dead. To do so, they depart on a journey across the vast land."
A demo is currently availably on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC, giving players a taste of the RPG before they buy it proper. It includes the first four dungeons; the ability to unlock seven of the more than 40 classes, called Archetypes; an introduction to six followers including party members that supports the player; and more.
In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "Refining the Atlus RPG formula of weaving tough turn-based combat into compelling social sim mechanics, Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t just send a powerful message across its political drama, it becomes a beautiful expression of the real impact storytelling can have on all of us."
Image Credit: Sega
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
