Category: Rumors (Page 9 of 18)

GMD Studios Stalked by Cricket; Eldritch Gifts Prompt Response from PuppetMaster

April 18, 2008 / Brandie Minchew

On April 16, 2007, mysterious packages began finding their way into the hands of unsuspecting people about to be lured into a world of dreamscapes, nightmares, madness, and death. The contents of the packages led to a network of dreamers, reaching out for help to dwellers in the mundane world. The Dreamers found willing listeners and clever helpers in several internet communities. Together, these Good Samaritans became Sentries; became Providence; watched helplessly as several friends left them, one by one; embarked on a journey together to find answers; and then waited together in the darkness when, at the last, all contact with their friends was lost as the signal faded out nine weeks ago.

The Eldritch Errors ARG, produced by GMD Studios, gathered a strong following of players from its launch in 2007 into its third “book” in 2008. In February, at what was supposed to be the climax of the game’s third installment in February, the game’s momentum faltered. The day for the promised climax passed in silence. After realizing that the game was on hold indefinitely for reasons unknown, frustrated players created a space for venting and even “uncovered” an obituary for one of the game’s characters, in hopes of eliciting some comment from GMD.

On Monday, April 14, two days before the game’s one-year anniversary, a person using the alias of Mr. Cricket visited the GMD Studios offices, leaving a drawing of a cricket taped to the door. On Tuesday, Mr. Cricket visited again, this time leaving a dog collar – with the nametag of “Providence” – hanging from GMD’s doorknob. On Wednesday, the game’s anniversary, Mr. Cricket returned a third time to draw a familiar mark in colored chalks upon GMD’s doorstep.

RUMOR: An ARG for Resistance 2?

April 16, 2008 / Michael Andersen

Resistance 2 / 42 Entertainment Last week, the staff at Kombo posted a rumor attributed to “inside sources” that 42 Entertainment is developing an alternate reality game for Resistance 2, the sequel to the Playstation 3 title Resistance: Fall of Man. Although 42 Entertainment offered no comment on the rumor, the company has a solid track record of developing alternate reality games for sequels, including campaigns for The Dark Knight and Halo 2.

According to the article at Kombo, the casting call intimates “Cassie” will be central to the campaign. The release states:

[CASSIE] is a 23-30 years old female lead and face of the campaign. Cassie was recruited by the military to do psychological testing on the soldiers. We see the project and its volunteers through her eyes as she struggles to make decisions that not only affect their lives, but the future of mankind. She embodies the moral dilemma of the story. Scene takes place in a Military setting of the 1950’s. It is an all-male world. She has a ‘Mitzi Gaynor’ quality, intelligent, well spoken, compelling and empathetic. She has a PH D in psychology.

The original game, Resistance: Fall of Man, followed Sgt. Nathan Hale as he faces an army of aliens called Chimera in the 1950s. This alternate history sets an intriguing stage for an alternate reality game, presumably allowing players to reach back to the past to interact. Its alternate history status also makes it easier for me to disassociate the name Nathan Hale from that of the Revolutionary soldier famous for saying “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”.

The article claims the alternate reality game will run for twelve weeks. And while an official release date has not been announced for Resistance 2, it is rumored to have a November 2008 release date, so keep your eyes peeled for this potential game over the summer.

OMG Hax0rz!!!

April 1, 2008 / Jonathan Waite

Imagine my surprise today, after a nice (albeit short) family vacation, to get back into the swing of things in the alternate reality gaming universe, only to find out that… we’ve been hacked? Well, that is what happened, according to a Digg entry we were, um conveniently linked to via a game tip. And what goes on Digg must be truth, of course.

Actually, the only truth is the fact that it’s April 1st. In the past, we’ve done our share of April Fool’s Day pranking. Heck, we’ve enjoyed the various Unfiction mock-ups we’ve been a part of, and as far as comedy goes, who can forget my stellar writing and Sean C. Stacey’s award-winning artwork for No Strings Attached? So, we think we know funny, and today’s idle report of an hackjob-that-wasn’t by a semi-prepared ~~puppetmaster wannabe~~ suave individual wasn’t really that funny. Maybe it’s the sour grapes talking, but being part of the joke without being in on the joke seems… lame.

We’ve decided not to link to anything related to this sham — Google is your friend — but rest assured, we weren’t hacked, and there were no well-timed AdSense advertisements on the site today. As for the person behind the Digg post and the Unforums thread… thumbs up for the awesome trailhead!

Thanks to Jackie Kerr for her contributions to this article.

Harvey Dent campaign shut down (in Chicago)?

March 13, 2008 / Geoff May

In early March, the “I Believe In Harvey Dent” campaign for The Dark Knight kicked back into gear. IBelieveInHarveyDent.com was updated to become Harvey’s campaign website, with downloadable flyers, stickers, and posters. It also asked people to promote Harvey Dent for District Attorney by taking photos and videos of their efforts, and uploading to the website, much like the “Why So Serious?” Halloween campaign where the Joker asked people to submit evidence of their allegiance to his cause by painting their faces and photographing themselves in groups at their nearby landmarks. Harvey Dent’s campaign, however, has a travelling “Dentmobile” and a schedule of stops across the United States.

Today, one of the Dentmobile’s first stops – Chicago, IL – may have taken a rough turn. Hollywoodchicago.com reports that after a mere three minutes, the campaign was shut down by Chicago police!

Two people (who knew what was going on) reportedly made it to the Dentmobile before they were closed down. As user Vlkers54 describes the scene:

“…I was at the 8 a.m. stop. I got there at 7:30 a.m. and I sure am glad I did. At 8:03 a.m., the cops came and kicked us out! Only me and another guy showed up, but we did end up getting a lot of free stuff (including) bumper stickers, posters, buttons and a T-shirt.

You should have seen the people as they were coming out of the train station:

“Who is Harvey Dent?”
“What is this all about?”
“Is this for that movie?” (We responded: “What movie? ‘No Country For Old Men?’ That’s a movie!”)

We kept “in character” and promoted Harvey Dent for (district attorney) as if he were a real person. Confusing people was a lot of fun. Some people did catch on to what was going on. Even middle-aged men who knew who (Harvey Dent) was were excited, (asked) for buttons and filled out the petition forms.”

This may be much ado about nothing, however, as we hear through the grapevine that the fine police officers of the Windy City were much more understanding of the situation after learning that the campaign was for Gotham City District Attorney. This coincides with an update on the Hollywood Chicago article which states that the 11 am event went off without a hitch. Regardless of how events actually played out, it must have made for an exciting time in Chi-town.

Eldritch Errors: No news is bad news?

February 29, 2008 / Jonathan Waite

Well, there’s not much joy in the land of Eldritch Errors this week, as players and curious onlookers are stuck without an update or an explanation as to why the game has stalled. We reported earlier this week on this unfortunate turn of events for the GMD Studios production. We contacted GMD Studios for comment and were promised a statement from The Powers That Be but none has been forthcoming. So, without any indication as to the whys and hows of the current state of affairs, I’m ready to call this stalled.

In response to comments by NordicNinja, Biff and Dante, I suggest that players should wait for another few days to see if the public outcry for information results in a statement (in-game or otherwise) from the puppetmasters. Barring that, there is a slew of other games in progress — some are just starting this week — in which to get involved. As usual, the Unfiction forum is a great place to get the latest word on new, emerging alternate reality games, as is its sister site Despoiler. We’ll keep you updated if and when news develops.

Breaking News – Slowdown of Eldritch Errors

February 25, 2008 / Jonathan Waite

Can this nightmare be true? Has Eldritch Errors fallen, unable to get up? According to a new section of the player-run Sentry Outpost in-game web site, the game has stalled. As well, we received a tip from a player that stated, “Eldritch Errors seems to be in the midst of imploding. Brian Clark has disappeared completely as far as we, the players, can tell.”

If this is indeed the case, we feel your pain, faithful readers, and are doing our best to get to the bottom of things. Look for an update later in the day tomorrow, as we have been told that official word from GMD Studios, the team running the game, will be coming soon.