Alternate reality games (interactive narratives that involve real-world elements such as websites, phone numbers and letters) started to gain momentum in the marketing/promotion world in the early 2000s, especially with the creation of the Metacortechs ARG for the final Matrix movie. In August 2004, some fans discovered a site called I Love Bees, whose address was subliminally hidden in a Halo 2 trailer. As players solved puzzles, details of a plot involving a distressed AI program attempting to repair itself emerged. As tangentially related to Halo's storyline as it was, I Love Bees drove up interest in Halo 2 and spurred numerous discussions about the universe.
Halo 3 Announcement (May 2006)
As if there were any doubts that the cliffhanger ending in Halo 2 wouldn't be resolved, Microsoft debuted the first real-time cinematic trailer for Halo 3 at E3 2006. The two-minute long sequence saw Master Chief walking among the ruins of New Mombasa (destroyed back in the events of Halo 2) holding an assault rifle -- the much beloved gun that went missing after the first Halo. One thing was clear more than ever: the Covenant had taken over Earth, and it would be up to us to stop them.
Halo 3 Launch Breaks Records (September 2007)
Halo fever was in full swing in late September of 2007. Dozens of game retailers opened their doors at midnight to throngs of fans waiting to get their hands on the third Halo installment. We covered the NYC Best Buy Halo 3 Launch and saw hundreds of fans (several in custom-made Master Chief costumes) gather to watch replica Mongoose vehicles drive around a closed-off 5th Avenue before Master Chief himself showed up to 'deliver' copies of the game to the store. Less than 24 hours later, Halo 3 broke the records for highest gross of an entertainment product in a single day.
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