Part of the marketing campaign for Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War was the alternate reality game Pawn Takes Pawn. The game started when influencers were sent crates with old-school slide projectors inside that eventually led us to the reveal trailer for Cold War. Half of the game was played inside of Warzone with what we at TheGamer called the “Bunker Hunt.” Today, another alternate reality game was started by Activision—once again, with packages being sent to influencers. This time, the assumption is that we are working to solve what will be coming to Warzone’s season one.
The half of the Pawn Takes Pawn game that didn’t take place in Warzone was played out on a website by the same name. Each day at noon, players were treated to a 20-minute tape of historical events that took place during the Cold War era from 1961 to 1982. A tape player beside the TV screen that you watched would occasionally flash with letters and numbers that corresponded to a location within Warzone.
As with Pawn Takes Pawn, influencers who were sent packages found the website 673763436741.com, the beginning of the new alternate reality game that Activision and Treyarch have concocted for fans. @charlieINTEL tweeted out the contents of their package for the world to see, as well as the website URL.
Once you go to the site, you will be asked to input a username. Any name will work here. Once you do that, you will be greeted with a countdown clock that will reach zero on December 7 at 10 am ET/ 7 Am PT. What happens when the clock hits zero is anyone’s guess, though there is speculation that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro will have something to do with it.
While some people enjoy the ciphers and puzzles that are associated with the marketing for Black Ops - Cold War, others are not amused. Many of the responses to the tweet about the new ARG expressed frustration at the game’s development and quality, rather than excitement for the teaser. On the other hand, there are others who view this kind of marketing as part of the Black Ops - Cold War experience and will diligently follow wherever the new teaser site leads them.
