Just Cause 3 is available for preorder now, and Square Enix announced a unique contest for gamers willing to shell out the early cash and brutal amounts of chaos with a grand prize not common to an enthusiast gamer's prize pool: your very own island.
By preordering the Just Cause 3 Day 1 Edition, you can register your copy upon release using your Square Enix Member account, where you can link your preferred console (Xbox Live/PlayStation Network) and enter a specially marked code that comes with the game, entering a contest that actually involves some skill to have a chance to win.
Fans of the Just Cause series are familiar with Chaos Points, a mathematical tally of the havoc you create using all the fun toys available in the game's arsenal. The more chaos, explosions, panic and devastation you create, the more Chaos Points you earn (simple, right?). This contest will track each player's earned Chaos Points for 90 days after launch, with one skillful (or just plain reckless) gamer with the most Chaos Points declared the winner of their very own island.
This appears to be real. This isn't an offer to give someone an "island" that could be rendered especially for you in the game, or a photographed island in a fancy mahogany frame. We checked the fine print of the official contest rules just to be sure, and it plainly states that although the actual location and size of the island will be determined after the fact, Square Enix is indeed offering ownership rights of an island.
"One (1) Grand Prize Winner will win ownership rights to an Island, valued at up to $50,000 USD or $50,000 USD in cash. Location of Island to be determined by Sponsor. All taxes and fees associated with purchasing and obtaining of Island (including but not limited to attorney's fees, escrow, and closing costs) are the responsibility of the Winner," explained the official contest rules. "Sponsor does not guarantee the Island to be inhabitable, developed or reachable by any means other than a boat."
The contest also offers the cash up front, which is a great option if you aren't willing to pay the taxes and fees associated with actually purchasing an island, which the winner is responsible for.
I'm not sure how much of a tropical island you can actually buy with $50,000, but I do know that I can buy a lot of Steam games and computer parts with that kind of scratch (if I had to stick to frivolous spending for the prize money). However, the idea of having my own private island, with a sunny and sandy beach in the middle of the Caribbean, is enough to make me want to grab the biggest rocket launcher I can find and blow things up. A lot. In Just Cause 3, of course.
You can check out the official rules of the contest and preorder Just Cause 3 Day 1 Edition at Square Enix's official site. Bring the chaos, and may the odds ever be in your favor.
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