Iris ARG now complete

According to discussion over at Unfiction forums, it appears that the Iris ARG has now run its course. With all five of the “servers” having been unlocked (Server 05 just unlocked last week on 8/16) apparently the mystery and story of this ARG has been fully revealed for all those who were following it.

The growing anticipation of the September 25 release was deftly nurtured by a unique viral marketing campaign, dubbed “Iris,” which engaged gamers in a high-tech scavenger hunt that aimed to broaden the audience for the Xbox 360 title along the way.

More than 50 people from 20 Microsoft teams contributed time, coding expertise, and industry contacts to bring the online campaign to fruition.

The project launched in June and wrapped up August 16, unfolding as a virtual treasure hunt in five episodes. A mysterious voice guided thousands of participants as they uncovered clues and puzzles at various server locations. Each location revealed previously untold details about the Halo game trilogy, which tracks Master Chief’s epic battle to save Earth from conquering aliens.

Fortunately, several Podtacular members were able to get in on the action and score some exclusive Halo 3 goodies, including Klutch27, Unr3alChi3f, ClownX, Kiaffex, Face Head, QualityJeverage, iNoob, t3hreaper, crashMMVII and, thanks to these guys, yours truly.

For those who didn’t manage to get so lucky, your time and efforts were definitely appreciated. And even though this looks like Iris has now all come to a close, don’t be surprised if other exclusive events or promotions start to pop up from Microsoft around the Halo 3 launch.