Earlier in the week, Microsoft teased a mysterious project that clearly related to the popular HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, causing many to believe that an exclusive Xbox game based on the series was in development.
Unfortunately, the dream of a AAA Game of Thrones title remains elusive, as Microsoft has now confirmed the mystery project is, as I and others suspected, a set of custom consoles. While this is obviously a little disappointing, I do have to admit that these consoles are genuinely super slick.
The custom designs are based on House Targaryen and the Night King, and are the first limited editions to be released for the new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, which launched on May 7. The House Targaryen console has a handsome, scaley texture adorned with the family’s sigil, while the Night King console features has a weathered, worn look.
Unfortunately, these consoles won’t be available for sale, and will instead be given away as part of a new competition that will run from now until May 22. To grab the House Targaryen console, you need to head to the official Xbox Twitter account and retweet the reveal post, adding the hastags #GamerThrones and #Sweepstakes.
For the Night King console, head to Facebook and simply like the reveal post there. It seems that only one of each console exists, as Xbox confirmed that only one lucky individual on each social media platform will be in with a chance to win.
This will undoubtedly be a fierce contest, and Xbox is advertising it with the inspired tagline of “two will win and no one will die,” a lovely twist on the very ethos of Game of Thrones, in which people rarely win and often die.
Microsoft unveiled the new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition last month. As the name implies, it’s a disc-less console with identical specs to Xbox One S — minus the Blu Ray player. It comes loaded with first-party Microsoft titles Minecraft, Forza Horizon 3, and Sea of Thieves.
In other Game of Thrones gaming merch news, HBO also just announced a new set of swanky looking gaming chairs as part of a collaboration with SecretLab. The new range offers three variants based on the three main houses fighting for the Iron Throne—the Starks, the Lannisters, and the Targaryens.
Each chair will be available in either Secretlab’s Titan or Omega variety, and serve as proof that HBO are absolutely going to milk Game of Thrones for all its worth, right up until the end.
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Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.