August 28, 2008
Lonelygirl15 sequel proves that resistance isn't futile after all
"The fountain of youth is real. It's in the blood of innocent girls scattered across the world. They're hunted, murdered, sucked dry of their precious lifesblood. We are The Resistance. We fight to protect and save these girls." (from LG15: The Resistance)
When we first met Bree, the original lonely girl of YouTube fame, it was clear that there was more to the seemingly innocent girl than met the eye. After all, after only a handful of webisodes, clues tucked into them revealed Bree's affinity for the occult, and exposed the darker reality hidden behind Bree's seraphic surface. Now, two years later, the series continues down a path that is more Hannibal Lecter than High School Musical.
Yesterday afternoon, we received word that EQAL, the company behind LG15 and Kate Modern, is preparing a sequel to begin in September. For ARG fans, we have exclusive news that there is, indeed, an alternate reality game - now playing and full of surprises - preceding the launch of the debut video.
According to an inside source close to the project, the game includes assets that go beyond the online videos which have become a signature of the brand. In the mix are crowleycollection.com, lifesbloodlabs.com and verduspharma.com/press/, the latter of which outlines a legal battle between a pharmaceutical company and an experimental R&D sub-division gone rogue. Of the three, the one we connected with the LG15 mythology immediately was the Crowley Collection site, as it was the picture of occultist Aleister Crowley which began the speculation about the truth behind Bree.
As a bonus for our readers, we can reveal that entering the code 1103 at the Crowley site will yield information important to the game. This code was interlaced in fliers handed out at ComicCon and at various comic book stores, and has only been delivered to a handful of LG15 fans -- we're the first news site to reveal this code.
For those interested in following along until the new video series kicks off, there are a number of threads on the Lonelygirl15 forums, such as this thread, discussing how to get into crowleycollection.com, and this thread, which documents many of the developments of the last few weeks.
Posted by Jonathan Waite at 6:22 PM | Comments (2)
August 24, 2008
Lonelygirl15 producer to launch Scary City this week
As lonelygirl15 proved, the new age of storytelling is upon us, and according to a recent article, a web-based endeavor by one of its key production staff is going to be a very big deal. Earlier last week, Unfiction forums member jlr1001 posted a link to an article at ThugLifeArmy about Scary City, which will include two separate but interrelated editions of the series running in the US and Japan. The international effort doesn't stop there, as there may be possible expansion into Korea, Israel, the UK, France, and Thailand.
The article points out the extravagant cost of the Scary City web site, which was designed by IMJ at a reported cost of $1.4 million, which may or may not be part of the overal project budget of $5.2 million. Another press release reveals details about casting, as videos will be released on August 26th describing he process of getting a part on the show.
Oh, and as for any alternate reality gaming elements, Yumiko Aoyagi (formerly the executive producer for lonelygirl15) reveals that the web site will "include interactive online Alternative Reality Games," according to the ThugLifeArmy article. Wait... games with an S? That sounds intriguing, especially with the international elements involved -- it could mean that a Japanese ARG could run concurrently with an English ARG, with intertwining plots or characters. As things start to kick off in two short days, we'll keep our eyes and ears on Scary City.
Posted by Jonathan Waite at 2:02 PM | Comments (0)