A mysterious message posted recently in the news section of MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) IE Blog has people buzzing about the possibility that another large-scale alternate reality game is about to go live. The image, which includes a complicated cipher code and a link to the Vanishing Point web site, was found by a number of people at the Neowin forums who have done a lot of work since the discovery to solve some of the puzzles already in place. One of the features of the web site is a countdown, which is counting down to January 8th, and further investigation of the Flash file reveals that there is an event occurring at the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas that day. Conveniently, this coincides with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which starts on that day in Las Vegas. The connection between Microsoft and the CES makes this page on the site very interesting, where “high-end laptops, gaming computers, media centers, software, gaming consoles, media players, and games” are said to be won when the countdown hits zero.
According to this Neowin post, the Flash used on the web site points back to 42 Entertainment, creators of I Love Bees and Last Call Poker. Regardless of who is making the game, the message is already getting out to a number of sources — one person has received things in the mail, while a video (used to be on YouTube, but has since disappeared) includes various clues about the mystery so far. It will be interesting to see just what happens in the days ahead with this project, so stay tuned and keep your eyes open for developments.
:: Trailhead
:: Discussion at Neowin forums
:: Discussion at unfiction forums