MS explains Halo viral campaign

By Robert Purchese Published 18 June, 2007

Discover Halo's origins with Iris.

Microsoft has told Eurogamer that the Halo 3 viral marketing campaign we talked about earlier is called "Iris", and has furnished us with more details.

"'Iris' is a spiral campaign designed to take gamers on an incredible journey through the Halo Universe," a spokesperson for Microsoft told us. "Led by an 'unknown' hand, users will discover bits of previously unknown information about the Halos, the Flood, the Forerunners, and the true origins behind the Halo trilogy."

It's designed to give us more information on how the great conflict all began, as we build up to the climactic conclusion of the series on 26th September.

Bungie content chap Frank "Frankie" O'Connor has written most of the material, with help from community manager Brian Jarrard and artist Aaron LeMay.

The campaign's due to run for several weeks throughout the summer and is promised to be a compelling experience to uncover valuable information. Unfortunately Microsoft won't say whether there will be any other rewards for participating.

Head over to the Halo 3 website for more information. Or head down to our comments section to discuss whether it's still "viral" if we all know what it is.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • stuarty_2003 #1 5 years ago

    It's a bunch of cock!

    Standard marketing campaigns all the way!

  • AcidSnake #2 5 years ago

    the true origins behind the Halo trilogy

    You discover that it's all actually just a program in the matrix!

  • Weezer #3 5 years ago

    Bunch of half-arsed pulp pseudo-SF bollocks. Who cares where the Halo/Covenant/Flood came from. It's an FPS for Chrissakes - just release the damn game already.

  • neilka #4 5 years ago

    Spiral campaign?! You can't just make phrases up!

  • Mox #5 5 years ago

    I quite like it. Would have been better if Microsoft had stayed "in character" though.

  • ralphwolfenstein #6 5 years ago

    To be fair, it's you the press that seem to insist on calling it a viral...

    And secondly, if it doesn't tell you what the product is about, then it isn't marketing full stop, let alone what you quaintly refer to as 'viral'

    From this side of the fence, it looks like another excellent grass roots campaign which you, the rest of the media, and every individual who posts below me are more than happy to blindly whip into a resounding success...

    And I do like the way you charge for advertising space, yet you're more than happy to stick this particular advert on the front page for free. Isn't that what the new media trade press is for?

    Halo 3 marketing campaign: better than Halo ;¬)

  • JediMasterMalik #7 5 years ago

    It's strange, the more I hear about the hype of Halo 3, the less interested I become. Just release the game already! Or at least some pretty pictures of what the game really looks like.

  • bdc #8 5 years ago

    UUUH ME TOO THICK ME WANT SHOOTY GAME BRING SHOOTY GAME OUT NOW UUGHH UGHH

  • hotblack #9 5 years ago

    It's the current interpretation of an ARG (Alternate reality game). As others have said it's the press that brand these things 'viral marketing' and unfortunately many of the hangers on or lurkers who destroy much of the unreality and fun of these things.

    The way to enjoy is to switch off the cynicism and play, and enjoy. You don't need to be brainwashed or absorbed in marketing to do this. In fact many who take part in ARG's have nothing to do with and no interest in the final product. The marketing part comes from the peripheries with everyone talking about it (as we are here) and every gaming website as well as many confused traditional news outlets publishing stories and working out what these funny things are.

    So I suppose you could say that Iris is a game, and the halo-effect (ouch, bad pun) of media interest is the actual viral marketing.
    Edited by hotblack at 18/06/07 @ 12:06

  • agparrot #10 5 years ago

    Iris?

    Wasn't she in Coronation Street?

  • Lutz #11 5 years ago

    No, that was Phylis, the purple hair lady.

    Maybe she's the end boss in Halo 3

  • bushwod #12 5 years ago

    Or head down to our comments section to discuss whether it's still "viral" if we all know what it is.

    Yes it is. Anything that propergates by word of mouth (or forum) is viral.

  • Carrybagma #13 5 years ago

    YaY! I LoVE HaLO NeWS

    "the true origins behind the Halo trilogy."

    OMG! Halo prequels! You heard it here first!

  • subtlesnake #14 5 years ago

    There's actually a very comprehensive story behind the Halo series, hinted at in the novels and contained within Bungie's story bible. Even the first game reveals that the Forerunners were in some way connected with humanity, and that human history represents Forerunners' 'lost time' (they were destroyed when the Halos were activated previously).

  • Lutz #15 5 years ago

    (they were destroyed when the Halos were activated previously).

    They were, were they?

  • Mox #16 5 years ago

    It seems likely to me that the Covenant declared all of Humanity to be heretical because we dare to physically resemble the Forerunners ...

  • Kami #17 5 years ago

    Wasn't Iris the same name for the viral campaign for Beyond Good and Evil?

  • subtlesnake #18 5 years ago

    "They were, were they?"

    Yup.

    "Curiosity? No. The Flood was the Forerunner's undoing - an overwhelming antagonist they could not defeat without putting a gun between their collective teeth, and pulling the trigger."

    http://halosm.bungie.org/story/staten102...
    Edited by subtlesnake at 18/06/07 @ 13:23

  • Lutz #19 5 years ago

    Who says they ALL died? Or any? Have you read the books? There's at least one, if not 2 plausible places the forerunners could be. That sentence is metaphorical. You're taking the obvious meaning of it (Which is fine) but it could mean something else.

  • subtlesnake #20 5 years ago

    "Who says they ALL died? Or any? Have you read the books?"

    Fine, how about a more explicit quote from Guilty Spark:

    "Arbiter: And those who made the rings? What happened to the Forerunners?

    343 Guilty Spark: After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They, and all additional sentient life in three radii of the galactic center, died, as planned. Would you like to see the relevant data?"

    [link url=http://halosm.bungie.org/story/halo2_level_transcripts/lv15_greatjourney.html
    ]http://halosm.bungie.org/story/halo2_lev...[/link]

    And yes, I've read the books.

  • 3william56 #21 5 years ago

    Pay $600 to watch a viral campaign? It's a rip off etc. etc...

  • Totoriko #22 5 years ago

    /cancels preorder

  • Lutz #23 5 years ago

    subtlesnake: Then you must surely see that isn't 100% certain that they're gone? 343GS is nothing more a computer, and they do and believe what you tell them.

    You're probably (almost certainly) right, but I wouldn't make any sweaping generalisations just yet.

  • Xerx3s #24 5 years ago

    It's strange, the more I hear about the hype of Halo 3, the less interested I become. Just release the game already! Or at least some pretty pictures of what the game really looks like.

    OMG, I'M SHOCKED! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT JMM WOULDN'T WANT TO PLAY HALO 3?!!! (what is the world coming to and all that)

    ...

    ¬_¬

    They were, were they?

    Or do they want YOU to believe that? What if they are grunts and manipulated the covenant for their own scheme's? DID YOU EVER THINK OF THAT?! HUH? oh.

    Sorry, I'll shut up now.

  • JediMasterMalik #25 5 years ago

    @Xerx3s - When did I say I didn't want to play it? I do want to play it.

    You really take the Halo 3 defender to a whole new level, I wasn't saying a single thing against the game.

  • Xerx3s #26 5 years ago

    Sorry, I apologize. Had a really bad day. I need anger management or something.

  • Monkey-Wizard-Ken #27 5 years ago

    The very fact we're talking about it, means its working
    Damn those marketing men, oh sorry and women

  • immateriaux #28 5 years ago

    Viruses and Microsoft have been going hand in hand for many many years now so no change there.

  • BadBoyBonner #29 5 years ago

    “The very fact we're talking about it, means its working
    Damn those marketing men, oh sorry and women”

    I am not sure, rolling the eyes while shaking the head and sighing thinking – what a load of shit – qualifies as “it’s working”.

  • DrunKao #30 5 years ago

    Was someone from Microsoft really suppose to tell Eurogamer everything about the campaign? Obviously it's Halo 3 related, but still.. It doesn't seem like something you just come out and admit like that. I bet Eurogamer wasn't even suppose to post this.

  • The-Bodybuilder #31 5 years ago

    I have to say, I've always thought the halo story was just a way to tie up scene after scene of SHOOTING ALIENS, but researching into the backstory is pretty intruiging (especially its biblical referencing).