Ubisoft gives us a new countdown [Update 3]
by Xav de Matos 
{ Apr 2nd 2008 at 12:00PM }
Update 3: It seems that as every hour progresses the timer (above the five decoded files) adds another hour to the countdown. Stay tuned until we get a confirmation on what exactly is happening.
Update 2: The timer now states the countdown will end at 5:50PM EST.
Update: Apparently the decrypter on the Ghost Recon site went on a lunch break. The new countdown, set to expire at 1:50PM, has just added an additional 2 hours. The new countdown now ends at 3:50PM EST.
Last week we reported an interesting development occurring across all of Ubisoft's Tom Clancy branded websites. First, a flash overlay of a smoking dossier (or black box) appeared over the official Ghost Recon website that provided users with no functions or information. The next morning a menu appeared allowing site visitors to click into an alternate reality game called MACSAT7 Recovery which expanded the flash window and revealed five audio and video files in the early stages of decoding. Soon reports flew in that other overlays, with what appeared to be wreckage from a downed helicopter, began appearing on the official sites for Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six and the upcoming End War that all pointed to the original Ghost Recon site.
After carefully conducting mathematics we realized that each of the five files were counting down to the date and time they would be decrypted, and thus available to analyze for information, but we also noticed an overall timer that was counting down to around noon on April 2. Moments ago the ARG came to an end and we were surprised to see a new countdown has emerged for 1:50PM 3:50PM EST.
Could this be the rumored Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 3, which is said to end the trilogy's stay in Mexico, or the highly expected Firehawk? Only time will tell.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Loban @ Apr 2nd 2008 12:29PM
Please PLEASE be GRAW3!!! I loved GRAW2 and I've really been waiting for the GRAW3 announcement. I hope they have co-op mode.
Curtis @ Apr 2nd 2008 12:28PM
Not sure but I think the new info is due at 1:50 pm EST, not 2:50?
tbc_hitman @ Apr 2nd 2008 12:33PM
to me it looks like Firehawk.
Xav de Matos @ Apr 2nd 2008 12:47PM
@Curtis: Yeah sorry, I thought I wrote 1. My mistake!
Curtis @ Apr 2nd 2008 12:56PM
Apparently it jumped to 2:50 pm EST... watched it count down from 2 hours left to 1 hour and 59 minutes and it added another hour, strange!!
Knight Marquise @ Apr 2nd 2008 12:56PM
During the xbox days, I never cared for Ghost Recon. When the 360 came out and GR Advanced Warfighter followed that spring, I picked it up simply due to not many games out on the platform yet, not expecting to care for it because of my past experience.
I really liked it. It made Graw 2 a definate purchase, which turned out even better, IMHO, then Graw 1. I loved Graw 2. I can't wait for Graw 3!!
B1gg Randall @ Apr 2nd 2008 1:03PM
I feel the same as "Knight Marquise" I play a ghost Recon demo on Xbox and PS 2 ...It seems cool But I got GRAW and feel in love...2 this day its still my fav game on 360.....i need to get Graw 2 again....tho.. love that game...
Neuromancer @ Apr 2nd 2008 1:20PM
Anyone else have 3GB of GRAW2 data on their hard drives? (1 free map + 2 free map packs + 2 paid map packs= DLC greatness)
LuckyEMS @ Apr 2nd 2008 1:26PM
They need to drop the GRAW shit and go back to the awesomness of Ghost Recon
fauxrambo @ Apr 2nd 2008 1:46PM
The teaser is live for me (on the West Coast), its some wierd grainy video and radio chatter for the Tom Clancy air combat game.
Curtis @ Apr 2nd 2008 1:58PM
This is getting really weird but the countdown added another hour again, every time it counts down past an hour... one more is added.
Hooligunn @ Apr 2nd 2008 2:38PM
Guys the timer is at zero for me. I can see everything. It's Firehawk all right, fighter jet sounds and images, chatter ect.. :)
The Iron Minge @ Apr 2nd 2008 2:51PM
Yup, it is up. No doubt about it... there's five different parts to the video, but it is clearly air combat.
Maybe try refreshing the page?
Edav @ Apr 2nd 2008 2:48PM
I thought Firehawk is what EndWar was originally called?
Hooligunn @ Apr 2nd 2008 2:59PM
Woah hang on. The countdown itself is still going but the clips are all decoded. Maybe in 4 hours 51 minutes we discover what this is?
I'm starting to think GRAW3 for a couple reasons.
1) 4 diamonds on the start of the flash bit like GRAW
2) EndWar ARG supposedly had its own site, why would this use GRAW's
3) It mentions RECOVERY of a black box by a GROUND TEAM. Maybe this is the starting storyline for GRAW 3?
In this case, time will tell :D
jim @ Apr 2nd 2008 3:19PM
theres a link to forums on the flash:
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/3981007546
BowserUSC @ Apr 2nd 2008 5:12PM
So in the first video an AWACS seems to be refuelling in the air and then is shot down by multiple SAM sites.
The second video is between the fighter escorts scanning their radar and trying to figure out what happened. They get a contact to vector 060, which i believe is the northeast but not 100% sure. Eventually they report in that both the tanker and AWACS were shot down, and possibly identified the type of SAM. (May be important for finding out who the enemy in the game is).
In the third vid, the flight is ordered by ground control to redirect to provide air strike capabilities to a mobile ground unit with call sign Thunder 2-1. There seems to be a successful launch of multiple air-to-ground missiles or bombs however when the mobile ground unit reports in there is too much static to hear if it was a successful strike.
4th vid: the flight detects armored ground vehicles and is given weapons free capabilities. They successfully destroy their targets. They then get another target from the mobile ground unit. While commencing their attack run there is a lot of commotion, as if there was an enemy ground to air launch or lock on one of the friendly planes.
5th vid: multiple SAMs are targeting the planes. There is an intense few moments where you think they'll be shot down however it appears that they successfully destroy the SAM sites and Thunder 2-1 reports that the targets have been neutralized and broken through.
So quick recap, an AWACS and it's escort are refueling when the AWACS and tanker are shot down. They are given orders to support a Mobile Ground Unit which is commencing an assault on ground forces which include multiple SAM sites. It seems like it is a successful attack.
The 4 individual screens in each video appear to be the flight recorders of 4 fighter planes or attack bombers. There is some Spanish at the beginning of the first video. Because of the mobile ground unit, the ability to order around other units seen in GRAW, the spanish at the beginning of the video, and the light blue motiff, my assumption is that this is announcing the third chapter of GRAW.
BowserUSC @ Apr 2nd 2008 5:21PM
I just noticed that the IGN content has a recovery eta of 06:00:00 BST. While looking up that time zone it appears to be either British Summer Time or Bangladesh Standard Time, probably the former
Ryan @ Apr 2nd 2008 5:33PM
On the website it says IGN content decrypting. ETA 23:00 GMT
BowserUSC @ Apr 2nd 2008 5:33PM
So on the british website it says the next set of info will be revealed 06:00:00 BST while the US site says 23:00:00 GMT. So the stuff on the US site should be available in less than half an hour, probably the same with the british one, but I'm not sure what timezone it's saying.
BowserUSC @ Apr 2nd 2008 5:55PM
So I've changed my mind due to the sat image it shows in the beginning before you press accept and believe the game will take place in Venezuela. So this is for ... Mercenaries 2??? No just kidding, but I do think the game takes place in Venezuela.
jay @ Apr 2nd 2008 6:58PM
Its the flying game HAWX as confirmed by IGN. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/863/863558p1.html