Bossa Studios never intended for Surgeon Simulator 2013 to become a part of a Half-Life 3 conspiracy theory—the ARG puzzle found underneath a medic figurine was simply another element in the game that would require the player to use some inference. » 7/01/13 2:30pm 7/01/13 2:30pm

And so the speculation continues! The other day, we wrote about a Half-Life 2 update that featured Korean audio. It was a mistake according to Valve, and they fixed it—but that didn't stop fans from freaking out. Now fans found something else that looks suspicious in a different game, Surgeon Simulator 2013. » 6/27/13 8:30pm 6/27/13 8:30pm

Normally, when a game is updated and things break, it's cause for concern. When a Valve game updates and things get weird, though, people get excited. » 6/25/13 7:21pm 6/25/13 7:21pm

As Assassin's Creed's is basically predicated on brainwashing and an enormous conspiracy theory, it's the perfect subject for the kind of viral clue-hunting alternate-reality game that surfaced on the game's official site this past week. » 10/21/12 6:00pm 10/21/12 6:00pm

Many years ago, the creepy alternate-reality adventure game Missing: Since January (called In Memoriam outside of the US) tried to blur the lines between its fiction and our world. In pursuing the trail of the fictional Jack Lorski and Karen Volker, players wind through real-world history and geography, as well as… » 9/27/12 1:00pm 9/27/12 1:00pm

I still haven't had a chance to play the new "Leviathan" DLC for Mass Effect 3, but I'm kind of loving the alternate reality advertising going on for it. » 8/30/12 8:30pm 8/30/12 8:30pm

Sega recently announced that their upcoming game Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will feature the titular hero of Disney's November film Wreck-it Ralph as a playable character. The movie's director, Rich Moore, calls it a "dream come true" that we can see "Wreck-It Ralph in a real video game alongside Sonic and… » 7/16/12 12:00pm 7/16/12 12:00pm

Watch Dogs is a game that feeds on our connectedness and paranoia. It posits an ever-so-slightly tweaked version of the reality we know, and tells us it can be manipulated to no end. » 6/28/12 7:30pm 6/28/12 7:30pm

There are plenty of games out there that posit alternate realities. Upcoming MMO The Secret World bases its whole plot around the idea, while piles of other games have at some point integrated themselves into the real world, often for marketing purposes. » 4/24/12 6:00pm 4/24/12 6:00pm

Google Glasses is somewhat of a creepy concept, but it can also mean a drastic change for gamers. Imagine playing the next Battlefield title like something of an ARG, where the playing field is the literal space you stand in. » 4/13/12 1:45pm 4/13/12 1:45pm

What's an adventure game designer to do when he moves on from PC titles? Conquer Disney World, of course. » 3/13/12 8:30pm 3/13/12 8:30pm

Looking for a new line of work? Do you know anything about the potential harmful effects of shady experimental drugs and mad scientist-level bioengineering? No? Then you sound perfect for the Umbrella Corporation. » 8/31/11 11:40am 8/31/11 11:40am

The elaborate alternate reality game that served as a viral marketing device for Portal 2's release was not entirely devised by Valve. In fact, the developers of the 13 games of the "Potato Sack," the group of indie games central to the ARG's final resolution, say they were involved in the scheme's design from the… » 4/21/11 11:00pm 4/21/11 11:00pm

Valve's vast potato-based conspiracy explodes today, as GLaDOS and Portal invade the thirteen games that were offered as part of Steam's indie game Potato Sack bundle. The horror! » 4/12/11 8:00pm 4/12/11 8:00pm

As of last Friday, April 1, Half-Life and Left 4 Dead developer Valve has been dropping cryptic clues in its own games (Team Fortress 2, Portal 2) and games made by others (Super Meat Boy, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, AudioSurf). The common thread? Potatoes. » 4/05/11 11:30pm 4/05/11 11:30pm

In a slightly different reality Japan is a vassal state to the Greater Republic of Korea, much of the United States has become the New Korean Federation of Occupied America and I'm the shadowy figurehead of a seditious and violent anti-Korean movement. » 3/08/11 1:30pm 3/08/11 1:30pm