Microsoft is the latest large corporate to turn to Alternate Reality Gaming to promote a product: for Vista's launch, they went cap in hand - and wallet bulging - to the best ARG creators on the market, 42 Entertainment. I say the best because they've done a) the most famous ARGs and b) they have Jane McGonigal on their books, who is clearly a genius.
C-Net's got the details, but in essence, the Vista ARG employs the usual puzzle tactics: cryptic messages pointing to URLs to get you started. And this time there's a giant incentive to play; while Perplex City is offering up 100K (eventually, no one's won it yet), the Vista ARG is designed to play out over a much shorter period of time, and the winner will be handed "a $220,000 suborbital flight on a four-seat plane that can reach altitudes of up to 330,000 feet and that provides several minutes of weightlessness". Yup, the vomit comet!
No word on how much Microsoft have spent on this, but they promised to eclipse the $500m they spent on launching XP, so, A Lot. How much of that on this giant ARG?
"It's definitely a lot less expensive than people have assumed," said Brian Marr, Microsoft's group marketing manager for Windows Vista. "I don't know what a Super Bowl ad costs [last year's ads reportedly cost $2.6 million for a 30-second spot]. You get a month's worth of entertainment for the same price."
The second puzzle box was opened yesterday, there are two more to go; the game will end at Vista's launch later this month?
For what it's worth, Microsoft hired 42 for Halo 2's release as well.
Posted by: skg046 | January 14, 2007 at 22:41
Additionally, Microsoft was also behind The Beast, the legendary ARG for A.I. the Movie that started the whole boom. Many of those key players are, as far as I understand, nowadays working for 42.
ARGers may resent it, but like it or not, Microsoft has really been a major trailblazer here.
- Markus Montola
Posted by: Markus Montola | February 06, 2007 at 08:40