Editing Alternate reality game (section)

=== New developments ===
In February 2007, Microsoft published the game ''Vanishing Point'' to promote the launch of [[Windows Vista]]. The game was designed by 42 Entertainment and, due in part to many large-scale real-world events, such as a lavish show at the [[Bellagio (hotel and casino)#Fountains|Bellagio Fountain]] in Las Vegas as well as a prizes of a trip into space<ref>{{cite news |title=Beam me up, Bill: Network technician wins Vista 'rocketplane' ride |url=http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9011149&intsrc=hm_list |work=Computer News |date=12 February 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref> and having a winner's name engraved on all AMD Athlon 64 FX chips for a certain period of time,<ref>{{cite news |title=First the Wait for Microsoft Vista; Now the Marketing Barrage |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60F1EF83F5B0C738FDDA80894DF404482&oref=login |work=The New York Times |date=30 January 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007 |first=Steve |last=Lohr}}</ref> received large media attention.<ref>{{cite news |title=Playing Now: A game that wants you |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16680141.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216162329/http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16680141.htm |archive-date=16 February 2007 |work=Mercury News |date=12 February 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref>

[[File:AIR kit.jpg|thumb|A physical prop from ''Year Zero'']]
A few days later, another ARG by 42 Entertainment was released, for the release of the [[Nine Inch Nails]] album ''[[Year Zero (album)|Year Zero]]''. In that ARG, fans discovered leaked songs on [[thumb drive]]s in washrooms at concerts,<ref>{{cite news |title=Nine Inch Nails Sparks Web Marketing Conspiracy |url=http://www.adotas.com/2007/02/nine-inch-nails-sparks-web-marketing-conspiracy/ |work=Adotas |date=16 February 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218073800/http://www.adotas.com/2007/02/nine-inch-nails-sparks-web-marketing-conspiracy/ |archive-date=18 February 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as clues to [[Year Zero (game)|websites]] that describe a dystopian future occurring in 2022.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/L8eg655cZOs Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130722211145/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8eg655cZOs Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=art is resistance graffiti on the news |website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8eg655cZOs |access-date=11 December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[Perplex City]] concluded its first season by awarding a $200,000 prize to a player who found the game's missing cube.<ref>{{cite news |title=£100,000 prize for digital hunter |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6344375.stm?ls |work=BBC News |date=8 February 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref> They planned to continue the ARG into a second "season" under the name [[Perplex City Stories]] without a large grand prize, but it was ultimately cancelled.<ref name="PXC2 prize">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930121824/http://appliedirc.com/logs/pxo-chat/20Feb2007/1100/ Post-Game PM Chat Logs] Accessed 21 February 2007.</ref>

In May 2007, 42 Entertainment launched ''[[The Dark Knight#Marketing|Why So Serious]]'', an ARG to promote the feature film ''[[The Dark Knight]]''. It played out over 15 months, concluding in July 2008. Millions of players in 177 countries participated both online and taking part in live events, and it reached hundreds of millions through Internet buzz and exposure.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUS212237+28-Jul-2008+PRN20080728 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407071739/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS212237+28-Jul-2008+PRN20080728 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-04-07 |title=Reuters |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>  Notably, ''Why So Serious'' prompted a great deal of collaborative organizing and action; players went to the streets campaigning for Harvey Dent and gathered in New York City as a part of gameplay.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/1pd74It-yVo Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20111124003532/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pd74It-yVo Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=Why So Serious? – An Overview of 42 Entertainment's Viral Campaign |website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pd74It-yVo |access-date=11 December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In March 2008, McDonald's and the IOC launched ''[[The Lost Ring|Find The Lost Ring]]'', a global ARG promoting the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in Beijing, China. The game was run simultaneously in six languages with new story lines developing in each, encouraging players to communicate with residents of other countries to facilitate sharing of clues and details of the game as a whole. American track and field athlete [[Edwin Moses]] acted as a celebrity Game Master, and McDonald's Corporation promised to donate US$100,000 to [[Ronald McDonald House Charities]] China on behalf of the players.

On 1 March 2010, ''[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]'' released an update via ''[[Steam (service)|Steam]]'' to their game ''[[Portal (video game)|Portal]]'', adding a nondescript new achievement and some .wav files hidden within the game GCFs. The .wav files actually contained [[morse code]] and [[Slow-scan television|SSTV]] encoded images, some including certain numbers and letters. When pieced together in the correct order, these numbers and letters formed a 32-bit [[MD5]] hash of a [[Bulletin board system|BBS]] phone number. When traced, it was found to originate from [[Kirkland, Washington]], where Valve was based before moving to [[Bellevue, Washington]] in 2003. Accessing the number as a bulletin board system yielded large [[ASCII art]] images, all leading towards the announcement of the game's sequel, ''[[Portal 2]]''.<ref name="potato sack" /> Later, prior to release of ''Portal 2'' in 2011, a much more expansive ARG called the ''[[Potato Sack]]'' was run, arranged by a number of independent developers working with Valve, to simulate the re-booting of [[GLaDOS]]. The ARG resulted in the game being released several hours earlier than scheduled, among other details.<ref name="potato sack">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-portal-two-arg-the-whole-story |title=The POrTAl TwO ARG: The Whole Story |first=Rob |last=Jagnow |date=2011-05-06 |access-date=2011-05-06 |publisher=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref>

Also launched in March 2010, an ARG produced by David Varela at [[nDreams]] featured the 2008 Formula 1 World Champion [[Lewis Hamilton]]; entitled ''Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life'', the game ran throughout the 2010 Formula 1 season, in nine languages, with live events in a dozen cities around the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/01/a-close-look-at-f1-racer-lewis-hamiltons-secret-life/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412050512/http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/01/a-close-look-at-f1-racer-lewis-hamiltons-secret-life/|title=F1 Racer Plays International Art Thief in ARG|archive-date=12 April 2013}}</ref>

In July 2013, Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development and The Walt Disney Studios launched [[The Optimist (alternate reality game)|The Optimist]],  built around "a story of Walt Disney, the Imagineers, and other visionary thinkers and their potential involvement in a secret project that sought to build a better future."  The game culminated at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif., August 9–11, 2013. Players participated over a six-week period, using social media, mobile devices, and apps, while visiting locations from the story in and around Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/07/explore-walt-disneys-vision-of-tomorrow-join-the-optimist/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130710195724/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/07/explore-walt-disneys-vision-of-tomorrow-join-the-optimist/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2013 |title=Explore Walt Disney's Vision of Tomorrow: Join 'The Optimist' |work=Disney Parks Blog |date=July 8, 2013 |access-date=August 16, 2016 |author=Glover, Erin}}</ref>

An ARG accompanying the Kickstarter campaign for ''[[Frog Fractions 2]]'' began in March 2014 and completed in 2016. ''Frog Fractions 2'' will be the sequel to Twinbeard Studio's much acclaimed ''[[Frog Fractions]]'', although the ARG itself is often referred to as ''Frog Fractions 1.5'' in reference to an in-ARG puzzle solution. The ARG took about two years to solve, involving clues buried in 23 independent games and real-life locations, allowing the game, secretly already uploaded under the guise of a different game, to become unlocked in December 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/the-sigil-eye-conspiracy-is-indie-games-widest-spanni-1785342978 |title=The "Eye Sigil" Conspiracy Is Indie Games' Most Arcane Mystery |first=Cecilia |last=D'Anastasio |date=August 26, 2016 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |work=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/the-two-year-mystery-is-over-this-is-frog-fractions-2-1790505179 |title=The Two-Year Mystery Is Over: This Is Frog Fractions 2 |first=Cecilia |last=D'Anastasio |date=December 26, 2016 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |work=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref>

On the release of the expansion ''Afterbirth'' for ''[[The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth]]'' in October 2015, players discover clues hinting towards an ARG related to the game, based on the community's previous attempts to hack the game to discover any secret characters. The ARG included location information near Santa Cruz, California, where the game's developer [[Edmund McMillen]] lived. The ARG was successfully completed in November 2015, with the community working together and enabling a new character and additional content to be unlocked for the game.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/an-insane-arg-is-happening-in-the-binding-of-isaac-community-right-now/ |title=An insane ARG is happening in the Binding of Isaac community right now |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |date=November 13, 2015 |access-date=November 13, 2015 |first=Tom |last=Marks}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/11/16/the-binding-of-isaac-arg/ |title=Burials And Bubblewrap: The Binding Of Isaac ARG |first=Adam |last=Smith |date=November 16, 2015 |access-date=November 16, 2015 |work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]}}</ref>

''[[Inscryption]]'', a video game by Daniel Mullins based on a [[metafiction]] narrative, including a post-game ARG that involved real-world clues and references to Mullins' past games in conjunction with in-game materials, leading to additional narrative and endings for the game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/22785437/inscryption-arg-explainer-mystery-lore-gamefuna-scrybes-narrative |title=Inscryption fans solved the game's wildest puzzles, but it's just as brilliant without them |first=Cass |last=Marshall |date=November 18, 2021 |access-date=December 23, 2021 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref>

In December 2020, a long-unsolved puzzle from [[Perplex City]], ''Billion to One'', was solved. The puzzle focused on exploring the concept of [[Six degrees of separation]] by presenting a man's photograph and his first name, "Satoshi", asking players to locate him. In 2020, Tom-Lucas Säger used image recognition software and located Satoshi, reporting it to [[Laura E. Hall]], who ran the website tracking information about the hunt.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/perplex-city-satoshi |title=A mystery cube, a secret identity, and a puzzle solved after 15 years |magazine=Wired UK}}</ref>

==== Television tie-ins and "extended experiences" ====
In 2006, the TV tie-in ARG began to come into its own when there was a surge of ARGs that extended the worlds of related television shows onto the Internet and into the real world. As with ''[[Push, Nevada]]'', ABC led the way, launching three TV tie-in ARGs in 2006: ''[[Kyle XY]]'',<ref>{{cite news |title=Kyle XY: Why, why, why? |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000437kyle_xy_why_why_why.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=30 July 2006 |access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304094250/http://www.argn.com/archive/000437kyle_xy_why_why_why.php |archive-date=4 March 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> Ocular Effect (for the show ''Fallen'')<ref>{{cite news |title=It's Staring at Me, Mommy! Make the Oculus Stop! |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000442its_staring_at_me_mommy_make_the_oculus_stop.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=3 August 2006 |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref> and The Lost Experience (for the show ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'').<ref>{{cite news |title=Running the Really Big Show: 'Lost' Inc |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/arts/television/01manl.html?ex=1317355200&en=9a89c6ab5bf568c9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |work=The New York Times |date=1 October 2006 |access-date=19 February 2007 |first=Lorne |last=Manly}}</ref> [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] joined with [[Channel 4]] in the UK and Australia's [[Seven Network|Channel 7]] in promoting a revamped website for [[Hanso Foundation|The Hanso Foundation]]. The site was focused on a fictitious company prevalent in the storyline of the TV series, and the game was promoted through television advertisements run during ''Lost'' episodes. The Fallen Alternate Reality Game was launched in tandem with the ''Fallen'' TV movie for ABC Family and was originally conceived by [[Matt Wolf (video game designer)|Matt Wolf]] and created by Matt Wolf (Double Twenty Productions) in association with Xenophile Media. Wolf accepted the Emmy for The Fallen Alternate Reality Game at the 59th Annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 8, 2007.

In January 2008, BBC launched "Whack the Mole"<ref>{{cite web |title=M.I. High |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/mihigh |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005032630/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/mihigh/ |archive-date=2011-10-05 |access-date=2014-02-02}}</ref> for the CBBC show ''[[M.I. High]]'', in which viewers are asked to become M.I. High field agents and complete tasks to capture a mole that has infiltrated the organization.

On 16 March 2011, [[BitTorrent (company)|BitTorrent]] promoted an open licensed version of the feature film ''[[Zenith (film)|Zenith]]'' in the United States. Users who downloaded the BitTorrent client software were also encouraged to download and share Part One of three parts of the film. On 4 May 2011, Part Two of the film was made available on [[VODO]]. The episodic release of the film, supplemented by an ARG transmedia marketing campaign, created a viral effect and over a million users downloaded the movie.<ref>{{cite news |title=ZENITH: crowdfunded, BitTorrent science fiction thriller |url=https://boingboing.net/2011/03/22/zenith-crowdfunded-b.html |access-date=19 November 2019 |work=Boing Boing |date=22 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Daily Dose Pick: Zenith |url=https://www.flavorwire.com/136776/daily-dose-pick-zenith?all=1 |access-date=19 November 2019 |work=Flavorwire |date=18 December 2010 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Macaulay |first1=Scott |title=Zenith Creator Vladan Nikolic |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/23657-zenith-creator-vladan-nikolic/#.XdNXHS2B1QJ |access-date=19 November 2019 |work=Filmmaker Magazine |date=4 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kohn |first1=Eric |title=Toolkit Case Study: The Transmedia Conspiracy of Vladan Nikolic's "Zenith" |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2011/01/toolkit-case-study-the-transmedia-conspiracy-of-vladan-nikolics-zenith-243837/ |access-date=19 November 2019 |work=IndieWire |date=18 January 2011 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2016, ''[[Gravity Falls]]'' creator [[Alex Hirsch]] conducted an ARG called ''[[Cipher Hunt]]''. Hirsch started the game with the posting of an initial clue on his Twitter account, followed by the rules.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/755870882027802624 |title=Let the games begin #FLSKHUKXQWpic.twitter.com/shSu5PCDSR |last=Hirsch |first=Alex |date=2016-07-20 |website=@_AlexHirsch |language=en |access-date=2018-12-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/755948098036260864 |title=~YE RULES~pic.twitter.com/fqxwehXZNu |last=Hirsch |first=Alex |date=2016-07-20 |website=@_AlexHirsch |language=en |access-date=2018-12-20}}</ref> It lasted from July to August 2016, and its goal was to find the clues hidden in various places around the world leading to the location of a statue of  [[List of Gravity Falls characters|Bill Cipher]]. Said statue could be seen briefly after the ending credits of the [[Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls|series finale]].