A member of Italy’s House of Savoy is the founder and chief executive of a Bermudian-based holding company that is behind a new fantasy-based, royalty-themed video game that is expected to hit the market next year.

The RoyaLand Company Ltd, which was registered on the island in October 2022, said it believes the support and historical input being provided by eight of the world’s leading royal families has the potential to make the game “one of the most popular royalty-themed online experiences in the global game market”.

A driving force behind the development of the game is Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice, who is the grandson of the last king of Italy. Umberto II reigned briefly in 1946 until the Italian people voted for a republic in a referendum.

The Prince said that the families, which hold legal, hereditary, or historically based claims to royal positions in Italy, Russia, Albania, France, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Lesotho and Mecklenburg, “are lending their intimate personal knowledge of aristocratic lifestyles, customs, and experiences to help develop one of the most vibrant in-game recreations of royal societies ever”.

A former hedge fund manager, author, and philanthropist, the Prince added: “Although TheRoyal.Land will be rich in fantasy, it will also be an interactive immersion into a once-upon-a-time world filled with all the characters who once populated royal kingdoms – kings, queens, knights, squires, artisans, soldiers, farmers, prisoners and others.”

The company said the game will allow players to select from these various roles, with each character offering specialised skills and attributes.

Based upon the actions they take, the players can earn experience points allowing them to upgrade and improve these skills and attributes, as well as vie for the chance to earn in-game reward currency, build virtual land, and own their online assets.

TheRoyal.Land will be set in an open-world environment, with individual kingdoms having their distinct game map.

Each kingdom will have an arena, where all online activities take place.

Although steeped in medieval tradition, TheRoyal.Land will also embody a utopian ideal, the Prince said.

“Our lands will be lush, vibrant and teeming with life. Buildings will be draped in greenery, integrating seamlessly with the environment.

“Energy will be harnessed from the sun, the wind, and the tides. Cities will be built not to dominate the landscape, but to complement it.

“Citizens of TheRoyal.Land will live in harmony with their environment and be stewards of their land. Society will be egalitarian, with a sense of community and cooperation emphasising recycling, sustainability, and fairness for all.”

He said the game will provide more than entertainment.

“It’s also a fascinating education, filled with historical and cultural insights that deepen our understanding of where we all came from.

“Players will not only enjoy the game but also enrich their knowledge of our collective history. That’s a combination we believe that’s never been conceived before.”

The Prince said The RoyaLand will integrate the game with both a mobile app and a website, creating an ecosystem designed to provide a unique digital brand experience and foster a growing community.

Now in the development stage, a beta version of TheRoyal.Land is expected to be available by January, with a commercialised product available by the end of 2025.

Game revenue is expected to be derived from both player participation fees and the offering of in-game advertising and “virtual land” purchases to companies seeking exposure for their brands.

“We believe the time has never been better for royal-themed entertainment,” said the Prince.

“As evidenced by the massive popularity of such royalty-themed TV series as Downton Abbey, The Crown, Bridgerton, Young Royals, and many others, there exists considerable consumer demand for this product sector.

“Plus, with Statista projecting that worldwide video game revenues are expected to reach $475 billion in 2024 and grow to over $690 billion by 2029, there is increasingly strong momentum to carry us forward. We are excited about the promising opportunities ahead of us.”

The RoyaLand Company Ltd is a public reporting company with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and this month its shares began trading on the OTCQB exchange under the symbol RLNDF.