Bungie partnered with marketing firm Kurppa Hosk to design an alternate reality game that unlocked the Cryo Archive map in Marathon. Players solved the ARG faster than developers anticipated, leading to its timely activation before a weekend release. The effort aimed to blend in-game puzzles with external clues for community engagement.
Bungie worked with Kurppa Hosk since 2021 on promotional experiences for Marathon, starting with hidden websites in the game's first trailer and clues leading to a graffiti piece in Venice Beach, California. For the recent Cryo Archive map, the teams created an ARG integrated into the game via terminals, Discord, and custom websites. Nick Clifford, Bungie's principal marketing manager, emphasized honoring the studio's ARG legacy from projects like Halo 2's I Love Bees while fostering community collaboration to expand the game's universe. Emanuel Rosu, principal producer, noted how in-game terminals organically onboarded players to external discussions using community keywords. Anton Ronsjö of Kurppa Hosk described ARGs as 'a game within the game,' involving puzzles like data translation to ASCII, hex, and binary, plus in-game bearings. Paul Martinsson highlighted creating a sense of achievement and story expansion without halting regular play. Developers planned pacing with tentpole moments and rewards, such as Durandal dialogue voiced by Ben Starr and map trailers, but players progressed quicker than expected. Clifford said, 'Players always get through them faster than we think,' denying any direct assistance despite doubters. Stages like cracking a 19-page manual surprised the team with their speed, yet maintained challenge through collective effort on Discord hubs. Rosu explained constant adjustments with the live operations team to align unlocks.