Microsoft offers £80,000 gold bananas to celebrate Sea of Thieves launch

The launch of Microsoft's upcoming pirate-themed adventure game, Sea of Thieves, is quickly closing in for Xbox One and Windows 10. Following a string of beta tests before launch, marketing is ramping up for its official debut on March 20.

Marking the Sea of Thieves release, Microsoft has announced an unusual celebration of its latest title. "The Quest for the Golden Bananas" will challenge players with a series of riddles to solve, with the ultimate prize of four hallmarked 18-carat gold bananas. The complete bunch of these bananas is valued at £80,000 (over $110,000) which can be shared with your three other crewmates.

The contest will be open to participants across the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, and Australia, from 3 a.m. ET (8 a.m. UK time) on March 19. After navigating to xbox.com/thebananaquest a riddle will be provided – with 14 more to be released in the following days. These riddles will be placed both online and in real-world locations, providing equal opportunities for those unable to travel.

On March 23 select players will be entered into a final, with one lucky crew winning the golden fruits. The promise of various other instant prizes has been made along the way, including limited edition £300 (over $400) Sea of Thieves golden "doubloons."

Sea of Thieves is on track for a March 20 release, priced at $59.99 on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs. The game will also be accessible via Xbox Game Pass – the Xbox One's Netflix-style subscription for games, valued at a $9.99 flat monthly fee.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.