Even the PR surrounding this game was in keeping with the style of the game, making you really feel as if you were involved in a covert operation. First, the invitation to the press event arrived in a curious manner; the envelope had been opened, resealed and then enclosed in a Fed-Ex envelope. It isn't unusual for a freelance writer to receive strange pitches and promotion information but this one seemed odd since I didn't even recognize the name of the company that sent the package. But an invite to the announcement of a cool game like Majestic is still an invite, so I didn't worry too much about it. I was eager to attend the event and learn more about the game.
Once I got the flight and hotel information, I thought I wouldn't hear more about this new game until the day of the event, but then I received the call. The conversation was brief and the caller advised me that there were things about Majestic that I didn't know, and then I was told that I should not go. The caller hung up before I could fire off even one question. Have I been unwittingly enrolled in the game already? Or is there something I really should be concerned about? Should I forget about the airline tickets and hotel reservations? Should I stay home? Will I be safe then?
Upon arrival at the event, men that looked like they could have been secret service greeted me by searching my bags with a handheld metal detector. I was then asked for a photo ID and sent into the waiting room with the other attendees. After a short while we were escorted into a screening room where we were introduced to Kendra, who plays a large role in the Majestic adventure, and shown some of the materials that will be come part of the game. When Neal Young, Vice President and Executive in charge of Production at EA and someone who is very involved in this little conspiracy, came up to present information on Majestic he was interrupted by a call to his cell phone. Of course this call was just a prop to demonstrate an element of the game, but it had a real effect as this is what the game is set to do for the player.
Without flashy rendered graphics, big guns or zombies to hunt down, Majestic digs into a much more personal and psychological level of gameplay. EA is using their partnership with AOL and a few other strategic companies to use gadgets and services that will contact you with clues on the game. The methods that EA was willing to discuss are AOL Instant Messenger, e-mail, faxes and calls on your cell phone or landline. Beyond all of the media, much of the game consists of surfing through Web sites for information, downloading video of interaction between the game's characters and retrieving voice mail messages also left by the characters of the game. This type of “interface” means that game crosses more into your real world life than other games, allowing fiction and reality to blur.
Though some of the episodes might involve what perils EA's Anim-X Studios have gotten themselves into for uncovering such conspiracies, the game gets its name from the Majestic 12 files. These are a top-secret set of documents dating back to the Eisenhower era. Even kept secret today, the papers supposedly report on incidents involving UFO's and evidently are still protected today.
Once you enroll in Majestic, and start uncovering some of the secrets, you will get AIM messages; phone calls and faxes, some with information, others warning you to stop. It is up to you to decide if you want to listen to the warning, or to press on for more information. You should be aware, however, that the warnings can become threatening, and you might not be the only target. They will find out more information about you than you might expect, and may soon be targeting your loved ones to influence you to give up your search. But it is only a game, right?