Now that Iris, the ARG created for marketing Halo 3, has completed, there's been quite a bit of examination of the game (which GameSetWatch summarizes nicely). As there are doings a-transpirin' regarding ARG coverage at the conference, I was interested in reading about how the game played out, and the usual postmortem stuff (what went right & wrong).

While the primary purpose of Iris was to promote Halo 3 before its Sept. 25 release date, the game also seemed to have been a proving ground for production of a less expensive ARG. Unfortunately a number of technical issues, leaks, and other problems made for a lesser experience than the Halo 2 ARG (I Love Bees). On the other hand, Iris did bring in a few new ideas, and considering the budget, use of donations, and team, met their goals for the game.

While not the game expected after the phenomenal success of I Love Bees, Iris has certainly given ARG players and designers quite a bit to think about, as well as offer the tantalizing idea of lower-cost, more homebrew ARGs.