Launching Into ’08: New Games and New Beginnings

newyear.jpgAs our planet careens into yet another lap around the Sun, puppetmasters are waiting gleefully in their lairs, cackling behind their respective curtains, fingers poised to hit the big red LAUNCH button at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2008. All around the world, ARG players will be clinging to their F5 buttons or obsessively checking their email for the new year’s first hint of activity in the world of chaotic fiction. January’s schedule is crowded with launches, relaunches, and continuations of new and ongoing games and experiences.  We’d like to give you a quick peek at what’s in store for you in 2008.

The Lost Experience – Relaunching 12/31/07
A press release on the ABC media website declared that on December 31, Oceanic Airlines would be resuming flights service to several cities. Contact your travel agent now!

What is this Game? – Launching 1/1/08
What is this Game?, an ARG and contest promoting What is this Movie? by Staff of the Magi Productions, begins on 1-1-2008 at midnight. Players may register here to participate (must be 18 or older by January 1, 2008). According to Magi’s press release, “What is this Game requires player interaction, quick thinking, puzzle solving skills, countless hours of dedication, and in the end a journey to the Grand Prize.”

QU13E
Last Halloween, QU13E rose from the grave. A few members of unFiction began exchanging emails and receiving clues from QU13E’s shadowy inhabitants. After solving a puzzle in the source code of the QU13E website, players noted that 1/1/08 was set to be the launch day of this mysterious game.

The Dark Knight
Who knows what the Joker’s next prank will be? This time, it might be PIE! The next phase of The Dark Knight kicks off early in the new year, so keep your eyes peeled and your forks at the ready.

Cloverfield
ZOMG! 1-18-08 is less than three weeks away! Avid followers of Cloverfield’s viral marketing will finally get to experience the Cloverfield monster on the big screen.

Eldritch Errors: Book 3
What lies ahead for the Sentries and the Dreamers in a post-Scream world? No exact date has been hinted at for the opening of Book 3, but players speculate that new activity on Eldritch Errors will begin sometime in the new year.


More on the horizon:

Licorice Media’s new project for Hewlett-Packard will be announced in mid-January. According to a post on unFiction, the project will be “a cross platform narrative of equal scale to Meigeist”.

We’re still on the lookout for the newest project by Jan Libby, creator of Sammeeeees and writer for Lonelygirl 15. Jan hinted in an ARGNetcast interview that her latest game will launch sometime this winter.

A Harry Potter-themed ARG, codenamed “The Hogwarts Experience” should make an appearance in the new year, according to a November post on the creators’ Blogspot. Sources have placed the launch date for this game sometime in the spring. One of the game’s creators said, “We hope our Harry Potter ARG can bring Harry Potter fans and seasoned ARG players together with puzzles that will require each of their specific knowledge to solve.”

Moving further into spring, Cathy’s Key, the sequel to Cathy’s Book by Sean Stewart and Jordon Weisman, will be available on May 5, 2008.

It looks like 2008 is going to be brimming with excitement, and as the concepts of Alternate Reality Gaming seep into the mainstream, it will be interesting to see how the world of interactive fiction expands over the next twelve months as a result. Happy New Year, everyone!

5 Comments

  1. Rekidk

    Great rundown of the upcoming games in ’08! Thanks for the article, Brandie! 🙂

  2. Dave Marriott

    Happy New Year! I’m totally diggin’ the new Lost game at find815.com – thanks for the heads up.

  3. Writerguy

    There’s also Secret Office. See #10:
    http://avantgame.blogspot.com/2007/12/how-i-spent-my-2007-year-in-review.html

  4. Runner

    Can you participate in these ARGs from anywhere in the world? For exmple, the Oceanic Flights contact is a US number, (I’m English BTW).

  5. Insane24Seven

    Great article Brandie! It’s good to see a few more efforts out there .. Hopefully something to grab a hold my interest 🙂