Difference between revisions of "Eye Sigil ARG"

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{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; clear:right;" width="22.5%"
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{{argbox
!colspan="2"|Eye Sigil ARG
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| float      = right
[[File:Eye Sigil.jpg|200px]]
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| name      = Eye Sigil ARG
|-
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| image      = File:Eye Sigil.png
|style="font-size:10px; text-align:center; background-color:#eeeeee" colspan="2"|''The Eye ARG, also known as the Sigil or Eye Sigil ARG, began in 2014 and involves at least 10 otherwise unrelated indie games which all contain a hidden symbol and a unique puzzle piece which forms part of a larger "map".''
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| description= The Eye ARG, also known as the Sigil or Eye Sigil ARG, lasted for nearly a year and spanned more than 25 seemingly unrelated indie games.
|-
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| creator    = [http://twinbeard.com Twinbeard]
|Creator
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| type      = Official
|style="text-align:center;"|Unknown
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| status    = Completed
|- style="background-color:#eeeeee"
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| discovered = 2016-01-23
|Status
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| completed  = 2016-11-15
|style="text-align:center; background-color:#5ac3ec"|On Going
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| timeline  = [[Eye_Sigil_ARG/Timeline]]
|-
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| halloffame = true
|Discovered
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}}
|style="text-align:center;"|January 25th, 2016
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{{ArgHeader|arg=Eye Sigil ARG}}
|- style="background-color:#eeeeee"
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----
|Completed
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|style="text-align:center;"|
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''For a condensed timeline of events, see [[Eye_Sigil_ARG/Timeline]]''
|}
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 +
== The Sigil ==
 +
 
 +
In May 2015, a [https://www.reddit.com/r/necrodancer/comments/37oyzn/dunno_if_im_out_of_the_loop_but_what_the_hell_is/ strange image] was found in the SteamApp root directory of the game  "[[Crypt of the Necrodancer]]." The purpose of the image remained unknown until [https://i.imgur.com/miZtTX1.jpg another glyph] was obtained, by [https://www.reddit.com/r/necrodancer/comments/37oyzn/dunno_if_im_out_of_the_loop_but_what_the_hell_is/croq00v snooping through the original image using a hex editor]. No clear answers about the images emerged for some time.
 +
 
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Around the same time, [https://steamcommunity.com/app/323380/discussions/2/530647080137884418/ a similar image] was found by players of the game "[[The Magic Circle]]" that also consisted of circles and arcs. The image was behind an airlock and had a similar sigil depicted on it, shortly after the game's release in June 2015.
 +
 
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=== A Shared Mystery ===
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Then, on 23 Jan 2016, a user discovered yet another similar [https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniMetro/comments/42bd84/secret_map_canberra_puzzle marking] in a game called [[Mini Metro]]. Shortly afterward, users came forward and claimed that they had seen similar markings in other games, including [[Sokobond]] and [[Kingdom of Loathing]]. By a combination of astute observation and dumb luck, the image, coined the "eye sigil" (the word "sigil" came from the resource names used in the games), now tied half a dozen games together.
 +
 
 +
In each game where the sigil is present, it is accompanied by a second, hidden circular glyph with little circles, squares, and triangles on concentric arcs. While the sigil itself was easily visible (even though been in vague places or displayed after very specific actions), seeing the second image required completing some challenge or figuring out some devious puzzle planted in the game. In certain cases, the glyph was first recovered using data-mining strategies (i.e. digging through the files and assets of the game), before solving the mystery the intended way.
 +
 
 +
== The Big Picture ==
 +
 
 +
After several glyphs had been discovered, it became clear that each of them was a fragment, intended to be joined together to form a larger puzzle. While at first it was not certain how these pieces ought to be assembled, as more pieces were discovered we were able to fill in the blanks.
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 +
You can now try putting the puzzle together yourself with a tool made by DukeBG. [http://duke.a-comics.ru/sigil_arg/ Give it a go!]
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 +
Clean result: [[File:dukemap.png|frameless|128px]] [[File:Eye Sigil Clean Map.png|frameless|128px]]
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 +
The arrangement of the map was complete as of 14 Aug 2016 with two "straight" arcs left as speculation lines. On 13 Oct 2016, the final lines were confirmed and there were no speculative lines left.
 +
 
 +
These resources were made before there was any solid information in regards to how the map should be used or solved.  They are included here for historical purposes:
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 +
*[[Eye Sigil ARG/Map Speculative Theories‎‎|Map speculative theories‎‎ (list)]]
 +
*[[Eye Sigil ARG/Map measurements|Map measurements]]
 +
 
 +
=== Commonality Between the Games ===
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 +
The question of whether or not the games involved with this ARG were linked in some way was very difficult to answer.  It was first postulated that each game's developers had attended [http://www.indiecade.com/ Indiecade]; however, this theory was later sunk.  For all we know, the games (and one book) were created by a comparatively small teams or ''indie'' developers (with a broad definition of this word, pretty much just being ''self-published''). Many of them follow each other on Twitter or know each other in one form or another (including brothers David and Kyle J. Pittmans, who each had a sigil in their games).
 +
 
 +
=== Who Holds The Knowledge ===
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As the ARG developed, some of the developers disclosed that they didn't actually know where all of these sigils were leading. They were presented, by a mysterious third party, with two images — the sigil and a map piece — and asked to hide the map piece behind the sigil (we can assume they were not told any particular instructions about hiding since all the developers did it in any way they liked). Moreover, they received ''subtle assurances'' that the ARG was nothing they’d be ''upset about supporting''. Some developers seemed to hold more knowledge, however, saying that ''the answer will reveal itself in time'' (this was said not as a clue, but as a remark by Kevin Simmons from [[Kingdom of Loathing]] at PAX West 2016).
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 +
== Letter Soup ==
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[[File:Firewatch Soup Solution.jpg|thumb|right|The solved letter soup]]
  
[[Main Page]] > [[List of ARGs]]
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On 9 Nov 2016, '''Firewatch''' was updated on PC with the '''Free-Roam''' mode. Unlike the Xbox One version that had been available since September, the PC version also added a sigil. The sigil is on a board in one of the abandoned old shelters at ''Camp Arapahoe'' and on a cover of a journal found behind it.  Before the update, that board had a symbol that reminded [http://bloodborne.wiki.fextralife.com/Hunter's+Mark Bloodborne Hunter's Mark]. The text of the journal found behind the board had some letters italicized, which spelled out `firewatchgamecomdataclientjpg`. That was a [http://www.firewatchgame.com/data/client.jpg valid link] on the game's website and a letter soup.
  
----
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It was discovered that we had to overlay our map over it to read the line. DukeBG made [http://duke.a-comics.ru/sigil_arg/solver/ a tool to do it], which allowed for moving, resizing, rotating and flipping of the map over the letter soup.
  
==History==
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A remark about the letter soup: it has the letters along the bottom and right edges cut off, we entertained the idea that we only have a quarter of the full letter soup. Also it has some anomalies that suggest manual letter placing (namely, the :V spot and the 26 spot).
  
<big>The Strange Glyph</big>
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=== Solution ===
  
On or around January 25th, 2016, a [https://i.imgur.com/roesSm1.jpg strange image] was found in the SteamApp root directory of the game  "Crypt of the Necrodancer".  While this image had been [https://www.reddit.com/r/necrodancer/comments/37oyzn/dunno_if_im_out_of_the_loop_but_what_the_hell_is/ found long before], its purpose remained unknown until [https://i.imgur.com/miZtTX1.jpg another glyph] was obtained, this time by [https://www.reddit.com/r/necrodancer/comments/37oyzn/dunno_if_im_out_of_the_loop_but_what_the_hell_is/croq00v snooping through the original image using a hex editor].  Still, no clear answers about the images would emerge, until...
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It took several days for people to try to fit the map on the letter soup. Eventually, the answer was found:
 +
number one/elmourouj
 +
This turned out to be a correct login/password combo for the [[Frog Fractions 2]] ARG terminal at http://time-travel.club/client.html, which was previously thought to be a completely seperate ARG!
  
<big>A Shared Mystery</big>
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After logging in on that terminal, we discovered four soup tasting videos featuring Jim Crawford and Ben McGraw. They were first uploaded as unlisted videos on 11 Oct 2016, but were updated to public on 16 Nov 2016 after we discovered them. You can watch the videos on the [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLQ-83jgXVNz5T_HD5eZVQ SoupTasters YouTube channel].
  
By a combination of astute observation and dumb luck, it was discovered that the initial image found in Crypt of the Necrodancer, coined "the sigil", was present in other games as well.  In each game where it is present, the sigil is accompanied by a second, hidden glyph.  Sometimes, the glyph will become visible after completing a challenge in the game.  In certain circumstances, the glyph has only been recovered using data-mining strategies (ie digging through the files/assets of the game).
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== Sigil Master ==
  
<big>The Big Picture</big>
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In August 2016, a person named "Sigil Master" contacted the journalist Patrick Klepek after he wrote an article about the Eye Sigil ARG. The message was limited to an ''Eye of Sauron'' image from Lord of the Rings movies and a text messages "The stars are not yet right", and the Gmail address was deleted right after that.
  
After several glyphs had been discovered, some began to wonder if, perhaps, each glyph was intended to be joined together to form a larger puzzle, which could then be applied somehow, either as a cipher or otherwise, in order to gain new information. While it is not certain how these pieces ought to be assembled, various guesses have been made as to their configuration. It is also currently assumed that we don't have all of the pieces yet, and so are still searching for sigils in games.
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The Sigil Master appeared again on 14 Nov 2016, right as the Firewatch letter soup was being solved, stating in an email to Patrick that "The great cathedral lies now in rubble, its halls no longer filled with glorious song. Doubt not my words." Coincidentally, the letter soup ''was'' solved and Patrick wrote about the results. Sigil Master then contacted Patrick Klepeck for a long conversation again, and then talked to another journalist, Austin Walker, through Twitter. All of the logs of these conversations can be found [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ko6xf-Tlnb_It10blIjZ8ZbdBMtR4_eWmN3HhVR7YHo/edit#gid=0 here].
  
Possible solutions to the puzzle (ie configuring the pieces into one uniform image) include:
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While this person could have been a creative troll reacting to the articles, the Sigil Master called out "[[Bit Bit Blocks]]" as a game with another sigil.  They were proven right (the sigil was planted on 12 Nov 2015, and yielded a map piece that was almost identical to the [[Slide the Shakes]] one). Additionally, in his conversations he mentioned "Celulitte Church", which is actually something from the [[Frog Fractions 2]] ARG lore. The style of communication also strongly resembles that of Justin Bortnick, the Frog Fractions 2 writer.
  
{| class="wikitable"
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The message from the Sigil Master Lorakis to the people that found ''his'' sigils was to ''push forward with whatever information they have, thus a portal [to Jixandlia] may be discovered''. This may or may not mean the game Frog Fractions 2 itself and would be further covered on the according wiki articles.
!Example One !! Example Two !! Example Three !! Example Four
 
|-
 
| [[File:Glyph_Example_1.png|frameless|128px|link=http://imgur.com/a/NLoRz]] || [[File:Glyph_Example_2.png|frameless|128px]] || [[File:Glyph_Example_3.png|frameless|128px]] || [[File:Glyph_Example_5.jpeg|frameless|128px]]
 
|}
 
  
''Please note that some older versions of the assembled puzzle no longer include all current pieces, as they were created prior to those pieces' discoveries.''
+
In the days following this, the Sigil Master reached out once again to Austin Walker, and answered a select few questions, particularly about this portal to Jixandlia. ''Yes, the portal to Jixandlia... though if we may be saved remains to be seen. You would have to emerge not only at the right place, but the correct when as well... the odds are low, but it is possible.'' He also suggests that seeking the remaining sigils may not add any further information to the search: ''While it is possible that you have not found all of them, enough have been gathered to suffice, else this conversation could not occur. If it amuses you to continue to hunt by all means do so, but do not let that distract you from the task at hand!'' Finally, he revealed that he has knowledge of one of the characters from the Frog Fractions ARG, Pontiff Zagmar, cursing the name and saying he was long dead, ''slain by the Empire when it was still a bastion of righteousness.''
  
If you want to give puzzle assemble a shot yourself, two up-to-date albums are available, [https://imgur.com/a/5aud1 one with all the pieces & sigils in their original format] and [https://imgur.com/a/RXLlN one with labeled PNG versions of each piece, re-sized so their circles match in diameter].  Historically, flipping and rotating of pieces is acceptable during assembly, however skewing/stretching/re-sizing of the piece is not.  Piece overlap is encouraged, as it helps confirm a piece's true orientation.
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== Conclusion ==
  
<big>Commonality Between the Games</big>
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After the Firewatch letter soup was solved, it was concluded that the Eye Sigil ARG was, in fact, a part of the existing '''Frog Fractions 2 ARG'''.  To learn more about Frog Fractions 2, check its [[Frog Fractions 2|wiki page]]!
  
The question of whether or not the games involved with this ARG are linked in some way has proven very difficult to answer.  It was first postulated that each games' developers had attended [http://www.indiecade.com/ Indiecade], however later discovery of additional games sunk this theory.  For now, a consistent, viable theory of connection is lacking.  However, coming up with one that works could be the key to finding the rest of the sigil-containing games.
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== Later Notes ==
 +
On April 8, 2020, Jim Stormdancer posted his [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVIQZ_MUYAEJWAL?format=jpg&name=large original sketch] of the map on twitter.
  
 
== Confirmed Appearances ==
 
== Confirmed Appearances ==
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! No. !! Found In !! Store !! Price !! Release date !! Sigil Added !! Sigil Location !! Sigil Image !! Solution !! Puzzle piece !! Video  
 
! No. !! Found In !! Store !! Price !! Release date !! Sigil Added !! Sigil Location !! Sigil Image !! Solution !! Puzzle piece !! Video  
 
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| 1 ||[[Crypt of the Necrodancer]] ||[http://store.steampowered.com/app/247080/ Steam] || $14.99 ||Apr 25, 2015 || [https://www.reddit.com/r/necrodancer/comments/37oyzn/dunno_if_im_out_of_the_loop_but_what_the_hell_is/crold8q May 29, 2015] || Image hidden in the steam game folder || [[File:Eye_Sigil.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || Hidden inside steam game files || [[File:cotn_piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPc3AMq8eQI YouTube]
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| 1 ||[[Crypt of the Necrodancer]] ||[http://store.steampowered.com/app/247080/ Steam] [https://www.gog.com/game/crypt_of_the_necrodancer GOG] || $14.99 || 2015-04-25 || [https://www.reddit.com/r/necrodancer/comments/37oyzn/dunno_if_im_out_of_the_loop_but_what_the_hell_is/crold8q 2015-05-29] || Image placed in the root directory of the steam game folder || [[File:Eye_Sigil.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || Piece is embedded inside the sigil image file || [[File:cotn_piece.gif|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/NuQ-FnR2xhY YouTube]
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|-
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| 2 ||[[Mini Metro]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/287980/ Steam] [https://www.gog.com/game/mini_metro GOG] [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mini-metro/id1047760200 iOS] || $9.99 || 2015-11-06 || 2015-02-13 || Sigil appears by going back and forth between credits and menu || [[File:MiniM screen.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Clicking the sigil takes the player to a secret ''Canberra'' level. Puzzle piece is obtained by recreating the sigil on this level. || [[File:MiniM piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/ifpzHuq4rxg YouTube]
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|-
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| 3 ||[[Legend of Dungeon]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/238280/ Steam] || $9.99 || 2015-09-13 || [http://steamcommunity.com/games/238280/announcements/detail/762595855058385614 2015-12-08] || Sigil appears when clicking the dwarf in the pause menu. || [[File:LoDsigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Puzzle piece is unlocked when using the remote control in a room on the 26th floor after finding the sigil. || [[File:LengOfD piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/yzSXAODJGsY YouTube]
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|-
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| 4||[[The Magic Circle]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/323380/ Steam] || $19.99 || 2015-07-09 || 2015-07-09 || Sigil appears on the door of an airlock. || [[File:mcsigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Puzzle piece appears above the room with the airlock. || [[File:MagicC piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/bFFA5ZCG2MY YouTube]
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|-
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| 5||[[Neon Struct]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/310740/ Steam] || $17.99 || 2015-05-20 || 2015-05-20|| Sigil appears on the shirt of a character named "Stranger". || [[File:Neon sigil.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || Puzzle piece found by playing through the game talking to all strangers, getting all geocaches, saving a displacement orb for the end, and throwing it past the ending trigger. || [[File:NeonS piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/wd8l_dy7BTw YouTube]
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|-
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| 6||[[Mos Speedrun 2]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/333290/ Steam] [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.physmo.speedrun2 Android] [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mos-speedrun-2/id835098788 iOS] || $8.99 || 2015-09-03 || [https://steamcommunity.com/games/333290/announcements/detail/108443129524049815 2015-10-15] || Sigil appears in a secret area in stage 3-4 after unlocking three eye pillars on different stages. || [[File:MosS2 screen.png|frameless|border|100px]] || The puzzle piece appears in a hidden level accessible after unlocking the sigil and completing the subsequent series of challenges throught the game. || [[File:MosS2 piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/6jsVxQxyNdI YouTube]
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|-
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| 7||[[Flickers]] || [http://flickersgame.com/ Website] || $0.00 || [https://games.digipen.edu/games/flickers 2013-05-01] || [http://neatsnake.com/flickers-soundtrack-remastered-game-update/ 2015-09-11] || Sigil appears on tree shortly into the game. || [[File:Flickers screen.png|frameless|border|100px]] || There is a dot on the sigil level that disappears after a short time. Piece appears when reaching it (i.e. speedrunning the level). || [[File:Flickers piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/GYPix5-458w YouTube]
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|-
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| 8||[[Sokobond]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/290260/ Steam] [https://www.gog.com/game/sokobond GOG] || $9.99 || 2014-01-21 || [https://steamcommunity.com/games/290260/announcements/detail/168092364619484173 2015-01-31] || Sigil appears whenever you solve a level with a solution involving hydrogen.  When this happens, it appears with a count of such solutions you completed (out of 12 total). || [[File:Soko screen.png|frameless|border|100px]] || The piece will appear on screen once 12 solutions involving hydrogen are completed. || [[File:Soko piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/D2m5XEw5G98 YouTube]
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|-
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| 9||[[Moon Hunters]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/320040/ Steam] [https://www.gog.com/game/moon_hunters GOG]|| $14.99 || 2016-03-10 || 2016-02-09 || Sigil appears in some levels as a statue structure. || [[File:MoonH screen.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Two players (or more) have to perform a specific pose while standing on the sigil in multiplayer. The piece will appear on screen. || [[File:MoonH piece.png|frameless|border|100px]]|| [https://youtu.be/zlTChsPsyxQ YouTube]
 
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| 2 ||[[Mini metro]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/287980/ Steam] || $9.99 || Jun 11, 2015 || || Sigil appears by going back and forth between credits and menu || thumbnail || Puzzle piece is obtained by recreating the sigil. || thumbnail || YouTube
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| 10||[[Soda Drinker Pro]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/347720/ Steam] || $9.99 || 2016-04-13  || 2016-04-13 || Sigil appears in the corner of the room in Level 2. || [[File:SodaDrPro screen.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || Puzzle piece found by glitching through wall. || [[File:SodeDrPro piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/BTdjoOkfQAU YouTube]
 
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|-
| 3 ||[[Legend of Dungeon]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || thumbnail || YouTube
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| 11||[[Bellular Hexatosis]] || [https://neotenomie.itch.io/bellular-hexatosis itch.io] || $0.00 || 2015-11-06 || 2015-11-06 || Sigil is visible at the start of the game.  Clicking on the sigil causes it to spin. || [[File:bhsigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Puzzle piece found by clicking the colored mushrooms found elsewhere in the game in the order the sigil displays after spinning. || [[File:Bellular_hexatosis_piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/iLjzz-a_BBM YouTube]
 
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|-
| 4||[[The Magic Circle]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || thumbnail || YouTube
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| 12||[[Slide the Shakes]] || [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prettygreat.slidetheshakes2 Android] [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slide-the-shakes/id1063892879 iOS] || $0.00 || 2016-02-24 || 2016-02-24 (presumably) || Sigil appears in the corner of the room in Level 88.  Morse code hidden in the level spells out "ARCHUSB". || [[File:shakesigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Piece was on a USB hidden at an arch in L.A., that was a landmark in another ARG by the same devs. || [[File:Slide_the_Shakes_Piece_Unlabled.jpeg|frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
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|-
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| 13||[[Souls of Darkness]] || [https://garybutterfield.itch.io/souls-of-darkness-pdf itch.io] || $8.00 || 2016-01-02 || 2016-01-02 (though webdings added only on 2016-05-10) || Sigil appears next to the name of the map. Symbols underneath the sigil are [[Wikipedia:webdings|webdings]] and correspond to a series of numbers. || [[File:SoulsOfD screen.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || The numbers were a book cipher to be used on the GAME SOLVERZ HINTS after each of the 11 chapters in the book. It led to <code>osdPcDotpng</code> which led to the image link of the puzzle piece. || [[File:SoulsOfDarknessPiece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
 
|-
 
|-
| 5||[[Neon Struct]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || thumbnail || YouTube
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| 14||[[Kingdom of Loathing]] || [https://www.kingdomofloathing.com/ Website] || $0.00 || 2003-10-02 || [http://www.kingdomofloathing.com/static.php?id=oldannouncements2014 2014-10-03] || Sigil appears on first visit to ''The Secret Government Laboratory'' adventure zone. || [[File:KoL screen.png|frameless|border|100px]] || The drops of the monsters in the ''Secret Government Laboratory'' (Excluding those from Monster Manuel) had the first letters being all different letters from A to M. In alphabetical order, the last letters of each name give the string <code>nlry9htdotgif</code> which led to the image link of the puzzle piece. || [[File:nlry9ht.gif|frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
 
|-
 
|-
| 6||[[Mos Speedrun 2]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || thumbnail || YouTube
+
| 15||[[Quadrilateral Cowboy]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/240440 Steam] || $19.99 || 2016-07-25 || 2016-07-25 || Visible above several clocks in the "Malta Stock Exchange" level. || [[File:qcsigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || One of the monitors on the "Malta Stock Exchange" level says "MISSING CHUNKS". Within the games files, the code that renders text on this screen needed to be modified: "DELETE_THIS_CHUNK" part should be deleted and the missing chunks that are spread in comments of other scripts should be "restored". Then the piece is displayed on the monitor, drawn by rectangles defined by the chunks. || [[File:TJ2Ss7I.png|frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
 
|-
 
|-
| 7||[[Flickers]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || thumbnail || YouTube
+
| 16||[[There Came an Echo]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/319740/ Steam] || $14.99 || 2015-02-24 || 2015-02-24 || Visible on the wall in level 5, near a point called Foxtrot 6 || [[File:TCAE_sigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Datamining the sigil revealed an [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=File:Equation.png equation] (solution=EIEIO), leading to "Old McDonald Had a Farm" phrase. Using this voice command in-game in front of where the sigil is shows the piece on screen. || [[File:TCAE.png |frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/eAQa4cSdD9k YouTube]
 
|-
 
|-
| 8||[[Sokobond]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || thumbnail || YouTube
+
| 17||[[Duskers]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/254320/ Steam] || $19.99 || 2016-05-18 || 2016-05-18 || Hit f1, f2, f12 or del on launch, then hit enter on seeing %*)!@(#$@*#$(&& and it appears in the top left for a split second || [[File:DuskersSigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Choosing the %*)!@(#$@*#$(&& option opens the browser with an URL containing a string of characters. An in-game clue links this string to another similar string, leading to the second URL with a login form. Currently the legitimate credentials to this form are not known, but the puzzle piece was found in that folder under the filename [http://misfitsattic.com/1@$6&#91;&#91;=))!8-$(=/piece.jpg piece.jpg]. || [[File:DuskersPiece.jpg |frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
 
|-
 
|-
| 9||[[Moon Hunters]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || thumbnail || YouTube
+
| 18||[[Clockwork Empires]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/224740/ Steam] || $29.99 || 2014-08-15 || [https://www.gaslampgames.com/2015/09/16/clockwork-empires-september-update-the-terrible-truth/ 2015-09-16] || Seen in the promotional drawing on their [https://www.gaslampgames.com/2015/09/16/clockwork-empires-september-update-the-terrible-truth/ website update page] for v43. Same art appears ingame at certain "strange artifact" events || [[File:ClockworkSigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || The puzzle piece was hidden with OpenStego steganography software with the password 191761112 in the image with the sigil. The password is composed of the amounts of times the symbols in the promo image appear on the [[Wikipedia:Phaistos Disc|Phaistos Disc]] in order. || [[File:CEPiece.jpg |frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
 
|-
 
|-
| 10||[[Soda Drinker Pro]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || thumbnail || YouTube
+
| 19||[[You Have to Win the Game]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/286100/ Steam] || $0.00 || 2012-05-06 || 2015-08-20 || Seen on the ''Listen to the Wind'' screen of the ''Extra Spicy mode'' near the end of the campaign. Alternatively available in the list of sprites by using the <code>edit</code> command by pressing ` in-game || [[File:YHTWTG_sigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Following the trail of clues in changed titles of the rooms, the player arrives to the clue ''Backmask the Myth'', referring to the screen ''Hydra is Myth'' of the original campaign. By playing the original campaign and entering the password <code>ARDYH</code>, the player is teleported to a series of secret rooms marked by the sigil. One of them has the piece in the pause menu. || [[File:YHTWTG_piece.png |frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/PlkkW70hYJA YouTube]
 
|-
 
|-
| 11||[[Bellular Hexatosis]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || [[File:Bellular_hexatosis_piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || YouTube
+
| 20||[[Bombernauts]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/246920/ Steam] || $9.99 || 2015-07-31 || [http://store.steampowered.com/news/externalpost/steam_community_announcements/405677787252452070 2015-09-12]|| On a map named Sigil || [[File:bombernauts_sigil.jpg |frameless|border|100px]] || There is a setting in the options menu called Awesomeness that takes text input and can return secret functions. The players on the Sigil level are given titles, namely ''complex, reduced, irrational,'' and ''transcendental''. Inputting <code>CRIT</code> to the Awesomeness option while playing the Sigil level makes the puzzle piece appear.|| [[File:Bombernauts sharp.gif|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://youtu.be/8yMEaq_1Ur8 YouTube]
 
|-
 
|-
| .||[[Slide the Shakes]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || || YouTube
+
| 21||[[QWOP]] || [http://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html?webgl=true Website] || $0.00 || 2008-11-12 || [https://twitter.com/bfod/status/628654716696817664 2015-08-04] || Appears on a barrier if you go 3m backwards from the starting line (WebGL version only) || [[File:QWOP_Sigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || To see the piece you need to have a device with an accelerometer. Go backwards to see the sigil and turn the device upside down. The gravity will switch and you'll fly up to the piece in the sky. || [[File:QWOP_Piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFCUCMV0Ero YouTube]
 
|-
 
|-
| .||[[Souls of Darkness]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || || YouTube
+
| 22||[[Choice Chamber]] || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/359960/ Steam] || $9.99 || 2015-07-16 || [http://steamcommunity.com/games/359960/announcements/detail/825671875018707506 2016-09-15] || In a normal playthrough you can only get a glitching heart after the cheating heart, which requires a shop that doesn't occur earlier than level 10. But using the debug mode to travel through rooms you can get the glitching heart on level 8. You'll see a pulsing sigil over the chest if you get to it. || [[File:CCsigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Obtaining a glitched heart from a chest under the sigil pops up an error message that includes "say nothing". Saying "nothing" in a linked twitch chat while in room 8 causes the chat bot to emit a reversed [http://imgur.com/iIAI6ah imgur url]. The image, also mirrored, is cryptically asking you to go back 501 rooms from the beginning and into room -500. Once there you needed to wait while the map piece assembles itself. || [[File:CCpiece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
 
|-
 
|-
| .||[[Kingdom of Loathing]] || || || || || || thumbnail || || || YouTube
+
| 23||[[Reagan Gorbachev]]|| [http://store.steampowered.com/app/364720/ Steam] || $9.99 || 2016-02-24 || [https://youtu.be/QVtLFqY9YEk?t=185 2016-02-24] || Sigil is in a hidden room in Level 22. Find the rocketlauncher and shoot the right wall at the end to get there. || [[File:RG_sigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Trigger an alarm so the door the enemies come through on the top of the level will open. You can walk through it after that and the piece is out there as seen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU3IJcaCJMw here] || [[File:RG_piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
 +
|-
 +
| 24|| [[Firewatch: Free-Roam mode]]|| [http://store.steampowered.com/app/383870 Steam] || $19.99 || 2016-02-09 || 2016-11-09 || Sigil is on a cover of a journal found at ''Camp Arapahoe'' in one of the abandoned old shelters. Inside the journal there is a text, some of its letters are italicized. These letters spell out firewatchgamecomdataclientjpg. That's a [http://www.firewatchgame.com/data/client.jpg valid link on the game's website] || [[File:Firewatch_Sigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] ||colspan=2 style="text-align:center" | Not applicable, leads to the letter soup rather than the piece || N/A
 +
|-
 +
| 25|| [[Bit Bit Blocks]]|| [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bit-bit-blocks/id967089737 iOS] [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.BitBitInteractive.BitBitBlocks Android] || $2.99 || 2015-11-12 || 2015-11-12 || The sigil appears on a menu screen next to the version number of the game. || [[File:bitbitblocks_sigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Hit the menu buttons repeatedly. It will start playing the melody for the Ode to Joy. Go back to the main screen and tap the 4 blocks. They expand to 8, and play notes when tapped. Repeat the melody to obtain the piece. || [[File:bitbitblocks_piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
 +
|-
 +
| 26|| [[Read Only Memories]]|| [http://store.steampowered.com/app/330820/ Steam] || $19.99 || 2015-10-06 || 2016-10-10 || Sigil is shown in the post-game email section, as one of the email icons. Replaced a conspiracy-alike image that [https://youtu.be/3ERiWbTLvFU?t=6m39s used to say "watching you…"]. || [[File:ROM-sigil.png|frameless|border|100px]] || The email with the sigil's icon says to send a message to an email address; after following a scripted (but possibly manually operated) exchange, the piece was attached in the final message. || [[File:ROM_piece.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || N/A
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
== Questionable Appearances ==
 +
 +
After the ARG got enough popularity and press coverage, a lot of developers (especially the ones, who felt they didn't ''get invited'') talked about adding the sigil in their own games for various purposes (be it fun or trolling, or just willingness to be included). It's easy enough to make a hoax like this and people who are solving the puzzle don't have a reliable way to verify the authenticity of the sigil. Especially when it's planted long after multiple media articles.
 +
 +
Since sigil-like images like that do pop up and people raise questions about them, we're documenting them too. Once there is enough investigation, a sigil can turn out to be real and will be moved to the ''confirmed'' section.
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable"
 +
! Found In !! style="min-width:90px" | Release date !! style="min-width:90px" | Sigil Added !! Sigil Location !! Sigil Image !! Reasoning
 +
|-
 +
| [[Roblox]] [https://www.roblox.com/games/488775941/unnamed level] || 2016-08-26 || 2016-08-26 || Appears after a button press in the beginning || [[File:Roblox-sigillike.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Roblox levels are user-generated content. There is no developer name or any sort of credibility to it. The user that posted the level (ChallengerDelight) registered on the website the same day. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4EfhnEMILU Here's what happens after beating the level]
 +
|-
 +
| [http://store.steampowered.com/app/518580/ '''Accounting'''] || 2016-10-18 || 2016-10-18 || On the credits whiteboard || [[File:Accounting-sigillike.png|frameless|border|100px]] || 1. The people on the development team joked about the ARG after discovering it before, see [https://xb.reddit.com/r/gamedetectives/comments/585wof/found_sigil_in_accounting_for_the_vive/d8yr7m5/ here]. 2. The image is very different from the actual sigil in the bottom part, this is common for ''parodies''. 3. Very late inclusion of the sigil.
 +
 +
After the Jig Was Up, it was confirmed that the sigil did not originate from Jim Crawford, but William Pugh was added to the credits nevertheless, making it an official part of the ARG.
 +
|-
 +
| [https://store.steampowered.com/app/523780/Emily_is_Away_Too/ '''Emily Is Away Too'''] || 2017-05-26 || 2017-05-26 || Sigil occasionally appears on characters' profiles, and in the gallery when the password ''frogfractions'' is entered. || [https://i.imgur.com/R4U3y76.png please add] || This game was released after the ARG had been solved, therefore it was not part of it. The game features its own parody version of the ARG. It is [https://reddit.com/r/gamedetectives/comments/6drmv8/comment/di5ulce/ unclear] whether this has been fully solved.
 +
|}
 +
 +
== Sigils That Were Not Found ==
 +
We predicted that there are more sigils that we didn't found based on the fact that every spot of the map was otherwise covered by multiple pieces (a redundancy to allow solvers not to find every single one). In the end credits Frog Fractions 2 lists "Extra Special Thanks" to people who planted sigils in their games, so we can find them ex post facto.
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
 +
! style="min-width:100px" | Person's name !!  style="min-width:130px" | Game !! style="min-width:90px" |  Release date !! style="min-width:90px" |  Sigil Added !! Sigil Location !! style="min-width:110px" | Sigil Image !! style="min-width:110px" | Piece Image !! Notes
 +
|-
 +
| Chandana Ekanayake || [https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/games/wayward-sky-ps4/ Wayward Sky] || 2016-10-10 || 2016-10-10 || On [http://i.imgur.com/BmjjTXQ.jpg the bottom] of a suitcase filled with coloured bricks in a sandboxy menu / hub world area || [[File:WaywardSky_sigil.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] ||  || The game is a PS4 exclusive and console games have giant gaps between going gold and releasing, so the sigil was probably planted months before october, although at the moment of release it could have hardly been relevant for solving the ARG. This game was left unsolved for 7 years until a solution was found starting in the main games lobby, heading to the 3 main teleportable areas and moving your PSVR camera through the objects you will see a switch behind each area, flipping all 3 and returning to the level select screen and turning around will find the map piece planted on the wall. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3YFDJWS0Kc&t Solution]
 +
|-
 +
| Megan Fox || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/253390/ Hot Tin Roof] || 2015-02-20 || 2015-08-10 || In a hidden dungeon, behind a fake wall || [[File:HotTinRoof_Sigil.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || [[File:HotTinRoof_Piece.png|frameless|border|100px]] || Each color is tied to a key/controller input: Blue = jump, Red = interact, Green = reload, Yellow = shoot. After you complete a sequence one of the bottom parts lights up. Once you've completed all sequences that you are presented with and all the bottom parts are lighten up, the piece is displayed. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7iUnPqKCP0 Youtube]
 +
|-
 +
| Daniel Mullins || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/405640 Pony Island] || 2016-01-04 || 2021-03-20 || There is no sigil || || [[File:Pony_island.png|frameless|border|100px]] || style="max-width: 400px" | This one was not from Jim, but added by the developer after the ARG blew up in the news, the developer was dared by two friends to add a fake one. The game does not have a sigil itself, but a puzzle piece and the developer felt bad about it afterwards. However, it was never found until 2020-03-24. This piece is located on the fake computer in the text file help.txt place your cursor at the bottom right and the piece will appear at the left of the file. The piece was nevertheless made official part of the ARG by listing Daniel in credits.
 +
|-
 +
| Alejandro Quan-Madrid || [https://glitch.city/ Glitch City] Magazine || 2015-06-17 || 2015-06-14 || In the corner of the front page of Glitch City Issue 3, a print-only zine. || [[File:GlitchCity_Sigil.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || [[File:GlitchCity_Piece.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || This sigil was in a print-only Zine given out somewhere in June 2015 from [https://glitch.city/ Glitch City]. The puzzle on [[:File:GlitchCityIssue3Pages67.jpg|page 7]], attributed as "???" to Rachel Sala, is a connect-the-dots diagram that produces the code for the imgur link of the piece.
 +
|-
 +
| Josh Sutphin || [http://store.steampowered.com/app/443250 Legacy of the Elder Star] || 2016-06-07 || 2016-06-07 || The sigil is on the main menu once you clear the game's Story Mode without using any continues. || [[File:LegacyOfTheElderStar.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || [[File:LegacyOfTheElderStar_Piece.jpg|frameless|border|100px]] || The sigil was on a screenshot that a player of the game [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=705196939 taken] on 17 June 2016, so it's safe to assume it was added on release. Clicking the sigil shows the icon of a boss skull and then leads to a grid, where you have to input a binary code — use the numbers at the end of each boss's name (88, 124, 175, 201, 254) converted into binary. After that the grid disappears and the sigil is shown once again. Clicking it opens [http://elderstargame.com/secret/secret.jpg the piece in a new tab]. [http://imgur.com/gallery/KyR9F Detailed album of everything]
 +
|}
 +
 +
== Resources ==
 +
<big>[[Eye_Sigil_Arg:Investigative_Tools|Investigative Tools]]</big>
 +
 +
<big>[[Eye_Sigil_Arg:Developer_Exchange_Archive|Developer Exchange Archive]] (horribly outdated)</big>
  
 
== Media Appearances ==   
 
== Media Appearances ==   
  
The reveal of the ARG led to a few big threads on reddit, primarily /r/games, which in turn lead to some attention from [https://www.vg247.com/2016/01/25/steam-ar-game-the-witness/ vg 24/7], [http://steamed.kotaku.com/for-years-a-few-steam-games-seem-to-have-been-hiding-a-1754982338 Kotaku] and [http://www.pcgamer.com/there-is-an-indie-arg-on-the-loose/ PCgamer].
+
'''25th Jan. 2016'''
 +
 
 +
[EN] [http://www.pcgamer.com/there-is-an-indie-arg-on-the-loose/ PCGamer - There is an indie ARG on the loose]
 +
 
 +
[EN] [https://www.vg247.com/2016/01/25/steam-ar-game-the-witness/ VG24/7 - Is this a Steam AR game to promote The Witness?]
 +
 
 +
[EN] [http://steamed.kotaku.com/for-years-a-few-steam-games-seem-to-have-been-hiding-a-1754982338 Kotaku - For Years, A Few Steam Games Seem To Have Been Hiding A Larger Secret]
 +
 
 +
[DE] [https://web.archive.org/web/20160204072336/http://www.gameplane.de/the-witness-steam-ar-ein-auge-und-raetsel-ueber-raetsel/ Gameplane - The Witness – ARG, eine Sigille und Rätsel über Rätsel]
 +
 
 +
'''26th Jan 2016'''
  
== Resources ==
+
[EN] [http://games.mxdwn.com/news/the-game-is-afoot-steam-games-hiding-a-secret/ MXDWN - The Game Is Afoot! Steam Games Hiding A Secret]
 +
 
 +
'''14th Feb 2016'''
 +
 
 +
[EN] [https://web.archive.org/web/20160220183915/https://dvsgaming.org/crypts-to-trains-the-arg-that-connects-9-random-games/ DVSGaming - Crypts to Trains: The ARG That Connects 9 Random Games]
 +
 
 +
'''31th Jul 2016'''
 +
 
 +
[EN] [https://voxludicus.com/2016/07/31/there-is-a-new-arg-encompassing-15-indie-games-on-steam/ Vox Ludicus - There is a new ARG, encompassing 15 indie games on Steam.] — this article is unfortunately lost.
 +
 
 +
'''16th Aug 2016'''
 +
 
 +
[EN] [http://kotaku.com/the-sigil-eye-conspiracy-is-indie-games-widest-spanni-1785342978 Kotaku - The "Eye Sigil" Conspiracy Is Indie Games' Most Arcane Mystery]
 +
 
 +
'''17th Aug 2016'''
 +
 
 +
[EN], [[http://www.vice.com/de/read/diese-mysterioesen-symbole-sind-in-19-spielen-aufgetaucht-und-niemand-weiss-warum DE]], [[http://www.vice.com/it/read/simboli-misteriosi-19-videogiochi-perche IT]] [[http://www.vice.com/es_mx/read/estos-misteriosos-simbolos-aparecen-en-19-videojuegos-y-nadie-sabe-por-que ES-MX]] [[http://www.vice.com/rs/read/misteriozni-simboli-koji-se-pojavljuju-u-19-razlicitih-igara-iz-nepoznatog-razloga RS]] [http://www.vice.com/read/sigil-arg Vice Gaming - These Mysterious Symbols Have Been in 19 Video Games and No One Knows Why]
 +
 
 +
'''19th Aug 2016'''
 +
 
 +
[EN] [http://fraghero.com/a-mysterious-symbol-has-been-found-in-19-unrelated-videogames-and-noone-knows-why/ Fraghero - A mysterious symbol has been found in 19 unrelated videogames and no one knows why]
 +
 
 +
[EN] [http://mygaming.co.za/news/pc/101486-the-greatest-unsolved-mystery-in-video-games.html Mygaming - The greatest unsolved mystery in video games]
 +
 
 +
[CN] [http://www.chuapp.com/2016/08/19/263097.html 触乐网 - 两年来,这张神秘图片出现在19个不同的游戏中]
  
~~<big>[[Eye_Sigil_Arg:Summary|Summary]]</big>~~
+
'''20th Sep 2016'''
  
<big>[[Eye_Sigil_Arg:Clues|Clues]]</big>
+
[PL] [http://www.cdaction.pl/magazyn/ CD-Action] - "Więźniowie labiryntu", issue#261 (11/2016), page 82
  
<big>[[Eye_Sigil_Arg:Red_Herrings|Red Herrings]]</big>
+
'''15th Nov 2016'''
  
<big>[[Eye_Sigil_Arg:Developer_Exchange_Archive|Developer Exchange Archive]]</big>
+
[EN] [https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/those-mysterious-symbols-hidden-in-24-games-have-crossed-over-with-frog-fractions-2 Waypoint — Those Mysterious Symbols Hidden In 24 Games Have Crossed Over With 'Frog Fractions 2']
  
<big>[[Eye_Sigil_Arg:Unsolved|Unsolved]]</big>
+
[EN] [http://kotaku.com/indie-games-most-cryptic-mystery-apparently-just-a-fro-1789010586 Kotaku — Indie Games’ Most Cryptic Mystery Apparently Just A Frog Fractions Teaser]

Latest revision as of 18:36, 16 April 2024

Eye Sigil ARG
Completed on 2016-11-15
Eye Sigil.png
The Eye ARG, also known as the Sigil or Eye Sigil ARG, lasted for nearly a year and spanned more than 25 seemingly unrelated indie games.
Type Official
Creator Twinbeard
Discovered 2016-01-23
Completed 2016-11-15
Timeline Eye_Sigil_ARG/Timeline
Hall of Fame Hall of Fame

Main Page > List of Investigations > Eye Sigil ARG


For a condensed timeline of events, see Eye_Sigil_ARG/Timeline

The Sigil

In May 2015, a strange image was found in the SteamApp root directory of the game "Crypt of the Necrodancer." The purpose of the image remained unknown until another glyph was obtained, by snooping through the original image using a hex editor. No clear answers about the images emerged for some time.

Around the same time, a similar image was found by players of the game "The Magic Circle" that also consisted of circles and arcs. The image was behind an airlock and had a similar sigil depicted on it, shortly after the game's release in June 2015.

A Shared Mystery

Then, on 23 Jan 2016, a user discovered yet another similar marking in a game called Mini Metro. Shortly afterward, users came forward and claimed that they had seen similar markings in other games, including Sokobond and Kingdom of Loathing. By a combination of astute observation and dumb luck, the image, coined the "eye sigil" (the word "sigil" came from the resource names used in the games), now tied half a dozen games together.

In each game where the sigil is present, it is accompanied by a second, hidden circular glyph with little circles, squares, and triangles on concentric arcs. While the sigil itself was easily visible (even though been in vague places or displayed after very specific actions), seeing the second image required completing some challenge or figuring out some devious puzzle planted in the game. In certain cases, the glyph was first recovered using data-mining strategies (i.e. digging through the files and assets of the game), before solving the mystery the intended way.

The Big Picture

After several glyphs had been discovered, it became clear that each of them was a fragment, intended to be joined together to form a larger puzzle. While at first it was not certain how these pieces ought to be assembled, as more pieces were discovered we were able to fill in the blanks.

You can now try putting the puzzle together yourself with a tool made by DukeBG. Give it a go!

Clean result: Dukemap.png Eye Sigil Clean Map.png

The arrangement of the map was complete as of 14 Aug 2016 with two "straight" arcs left as speculation lines. On 13 Oct 2016, the final lines were confirmed and there were no speculative lines left.

These resources were made before there was any solid information in regards to how the map should be used or solved. They are included here for historical purposes:

Commonality Between the Games

The question of whether or not the games involved with this ARG were linked in some way was very difficult to answer. It was first postulated that each game's developers had attended Indiecade; however, this theory was later sunk. For all we know, the games (and one book) were created by a comparatively small teams or indie developers (with a broad definition of this word, pretty much just being self-published). Many of them follow each other on Twitter or know each other in one form or another (including brothers David and Kyle J. Pittmans, who each had a sigil in their games).

Who Holds The Knowledge

As the ARG developed, some of the developers disclosed that they didn't actually know where all of these sigils were leading. They were presented, by a mysterious third party, with two images — the sigil and a map piece — and asked to hide the map piece behind the sigil (we can assume they were not told any particular instructions about hiding since all the developers did it in any way they liked). Moreover, they received subtle assurances that the ARG was nothing they’d be upset about supporting. Some developers seemed to hold more knowledge, however, saying that the answer will reveal itself in time (this was said not as a clue, but as a remark by Kevin Simmons from Kingdom of Loathing at PAX West 2016).

Letter Soup

The solved letter soup

On 9 Nov 2016, Firewatch was updated on PC with the Free-Roam mode. Unlike the Xbox One version that had been available since September, the PC version also added a sigil. The sigil is on a board in one of the abandoned old shelters at Camp Arapahoe and on a cover of a journal found behind it. Before the update, that board had a symbol that reminded Bloodborne Hunter's Mark. The text of the journal found behind the board had some letters italicized, which spelled out `firewatchgamecomdataclientjpg`. That was a valid link on the game's website and a letter soup.

It was discovered that we had to overlay our map over it to read the line. DukeBG made a tool to do it, which allowed for moving, resizing, rotating and flipping of the map over the letter soup.

A remark about the letter soup: it has the letters along the bottom and right edges cut off, we entertained the idea that we only have a quarter of the full letter soup. Also it has some anomalies that suggest manual letter placing (namely, the :V spot and the 26 spot).

Solution

It took several days for people to try to fit the map on the letter soup. Eventually, the answer was found:

number one/elmourouj

This turned out to be a correct login/password combo for the Frog Fractions 2 ARG terminal at http://time-travel.club/client.html, which was previously thought to be a completely seperate ARG!

After logging in on that terminal, we discovered four soup tasting videos featuring Jim Crawford and Ben McGraw. They were first uploaded as unlisted videos on 11 Oct 2016, but were updated to public on 16 Nov 2016 after we discovered them. You can watch the videos on the SoupTasters YouTube channel.

Sigil Master

In August 2016, a person named "Sigil Master" contacted the journalist Patrick Klepek after he wrote an article about the Eye Sigil ARG. The message was limited to an Eye of Sauron image from Lord of the Rings movies and a text messages "The stars are not yet right", and the Gmail address was deleted right after that.

The Sigil Master appeared again on 14 Nov 2016, right as the Firewatch letter soup was being solved, stating in an email to Patrick that "The great cathedral lies now in rubble, its halls no longer filled with glorious song. Doubt not my words." Coincidentally, the letter soup was solved and Patrick wrote about the results. Sigil Master then contacted Patrick Klepeck for a long conversation again, and then talked to another journalist, Austin Walker, through Twitter. All of the logs of these conversations can be found here.

While this person could have been a creative troll reacting to the articles, the Sigil Master called out "Bit Bit Blocks" as a game with another sigil. They were proven right (the sigil was planted on 12 Nov 2015, and yielded a map piece that was almost identical to the Slide the Shakes one). Additionally, in his conversations he mentioned "Celulitte Church", which is actually something from the Frog Fractions 2 ARG lore. The style of communication also strongly resembles that of Justin Bortnick, the Frog Fractions 2 writer.

The message from the Sigil Master Lorakis to the people that found his sigils was to push forward with whatever information they have, thus a portal [to Jixandlia] may be discovered. This may or may not mean the game Frog Fractions 2 itself and would be further covered on the according wiki articles.

In the days following this, the Sigil Master reached out once again to Austin Walker, and answered a select few questions, particularly about this portal to Jixandlia. Yes, the portal to Jixandlia... though if we may be saved remains to be seen. You would have to emerge not only at the right place, but the correct when as well... the odds are low, but it is possible. He also suggests that seeking the remaining sigils may not add any further information to the search: While it is possible that you have not found all of them, enough have been gathered to suffice, else this conversation could not occur. If it amuses you to continue to hunt by all means do so, but do not let that distract you from the task at hand! Finally, he revealed that he has knowledge of one of the characters from the Frog Fractions ARG, Pontiff Zagmar, cursing the name and saying he was long dead, slain by the Empire when it was still a bastion of righteousness.

Conclusion

After the Firewatch letter soup was solved, it was concluded that the Eye Sigil ARG was, in fact, a part of the existing Frog Fractions 2 ARG. To learn more about Frog Fractions 2, check its wiki page!

Later Notes

On April 8, 2020, Jim Stormdancer posted his original sketch of the map on twitter.

Confirmed Appearances

No. Found In Store Price Release date Sigil Added Sigil Location Sigil Image Solution Puzzle piece Video
1 Crypt of the Necrodancer Steam GOG $14.99 2015-04-25 2015-05-29 Image placed in the root directory of the steam game folder Eye Sigil.jpg Piece is embedded inside the sigil image file Cotn piece.gif YouTube
2 Mini Metro Steam GOG iOS $9.99 2015-11-06 2015-02-13 Sigil appears by going back and forth between credits and menu MiniM screen.png Clicking the sigil takes the player to a secret Canberra level. Puzzle piece is obtained by recreating the sigil on this level. MiniM piece.png YouTube
3 Legend of Dungeon Steam $9.99 2015-09-13 2015-12-08 Sigil appears when clicking the dwarf in the pause menu. LoDsigil.png Puzzle piece is unlocked when using the remote control in a room on the 26th floor after finding the sigil. LengOfD piece.png YouTube
4 The Magic Circle Steam $19.99 2015-07-09 2015-07-09 Sigil appears on the door of an airlock. Mcsigil.png Puzzle piece appears above the room with the airlock. MagicC piece.png YouTube
5 Neon Struct Steam $17.99 2015-05-20 2015-05-20 Sigil appears on the shirt of a character named "Stranger". Neon sigil.jpg Puzzle piece found by playing through the game talking to all strangers, getting all geocaches, saving a displacement orb for the end, and throwing it past the ending trigger. NeonS piece.png YouTube
6 Mos Speedrun 2 Steam Android iOS $8.99 2015-09-03 2015-10-15 Sigil appears in a secret area in stage 3-4 after unlocking three eye pillars on different stages. MosS2 screen.png The puzzle piece appears in a hidden level accessible after unlocking the sigil and completing the subsequent series of challenges throught the game. MosS2 piece.png YouTube
7 Flickers Website $0.00 2013-05-01 2015-09-11 Sigil appears on tree shortly into the game. Flickers screen.png There is a dot on the sigil level that disappears after a short time. Piece appears when reaching it (i.e. speedrunning the level). Flickers piece.png YouTube
8 Sokobond Steam GOG $9.99 2014-01-21 2015-01-31 Sigil appears whenever you solve a level with a solution involving hydrogen. When this happens, it appears with a count of such solutions you completed (out of 12 total). Soko screen.png The piece will appear on screen once 12 solutions involving hydrogen are completed. Soko piece.png YouTube
9 Moon Hunters Steam GOG $14.99 2016-03-10 2016-02-09 Sigil appears in some levels as a statue structure. MoonH screen.png Two players (or more) have to perform a specific pose while standing on the sigil in multiplayer. The piece will appear on screen. MoonH piece.png YouTube
10 Soda Drinker Pro Steam $9.99 2016-04-13 2016-04-13 Sigil appears in the corner of the room in Level 2. SodaDrPro screen.jpg Puzzle piece found by glitching through wall. SodeDrPro piece.png YouTube
11 Bellular Hexatosis itch.io $0.00 2015-11-06 2015-11-06 Sigil is visible at the start of the game. Clicking on the sigil causes it to spin. Bhsigil.png Puzzle piece found by clicking the colored mushrooms found elsewhere in the game in the order the sigil displays after spinning. Bellular hexatosis piece.png YouTube
12 Slide the Shakes Android iOS $0.00 2016-02-24 2016-02-24 (presumably) Sigil appears in the corner of the room in Level 88. Morse code hidden in the level spells out "ARCHUSB". Shakesigil.png Piece was on a USB hidden at an arch in L.A., that was a landmark in another ARG by the same devs. Slide the Shakes Piece Unlabled.jpeg N/A
13 Souls of Darkness itch.io $8.00 2016-01-02 2016-01-02 (though webdings added only on 2016-05-10) Sigil appears next to the name of the map. Symbols underneath the sigil are webdings and correspond to a series of numbers. SoulsOfD screen.jpg The numbers were a book cipher to be used on the GAME SOLVERZ HINTS after each of the 11 chapters in the book. It led to osdPcDotpng which led to the image link of the puzzle piece. SoulsOfDarknessPiece.png N/A
14 Kingdom of Loathing Website $0.00 2003-10-02 2014-10-03 Sigil appears on first visit to The Secret Government Laboratory adventure zone. KoL screen.png The drops of the monsters in the Secret Government Laboratory (Excluding those from Monster Manuel) had the first letters being all different letters from A to M. In alphabetical order, the last letters of each name give the string nlry9htdotgif which led to the image link of the puzzle piece. Nlry9ht.gif N/A
15 Quadrilateral Cowboy Steam $19.99 2016-07-25 2016-07-25 Visible above several clocks in the "Malta Stock Exchange" level. Qcsigil.png One of the monitors on the "Malta Stock Exchange" level says "MISSING CHUNKS". Within the games files, the code that renders text on this screen needed to be modified: "DELETE_THIS_CHUNK" part should be deleted and the missing chunks that are spread in comments of other scripts should be "restored". Then the piece is displayed on the monitor, drawn by rectangles defined by the chunks. TJ2Ss7I.png N/A
16 There Came an Echo Steam $14.99 2015-02-24 2015-02-24 Visible on the wall in level 5, near a point called Foxtrot 6 TCAE sigil.png Datamining the sigil revealed an equation (solution=EIEIO), leading to "Old McDonald Had a Farm" phrase. Using this voice command in-game in front of where the sigil is shows the piece on screen. TCAE.png YouTube
17 Duskers Steam $19.99 2016-05-18 2016-05-18 Hit f1, f2, f12 or del on launch, then hit enter on seeing %*)!@(#$@*#$(&& and it appears in the top left for a split second DuskersSigil.png Choosing the %*)!@(#$@*#$(&& option opens the browser with an URL containing a string of characters. An in-game clue links this string to another similar string, leading to the second URL with a login form. Currently the legitimate credentials to this form are not known, but the puzzle piece was found in that folder under the filename piece.jpg. DuskersPiece.jpg N/A
18 Clockwork Empires Steam $29.99 2014-08-15 2015-09-16 Seen in the promotional drawing on their website update page for v43. Same art appears ingame at certain "strange artifact" events ClockworkSigil.png The puzzle piece was hidden with OpenStego steganography software with the password 191761112 in the image with the sigil. The password is composed of the amounts of times the symbols in the promo image appear on the Phaistos Disc in order. CEPiece.jpg N/A
19 You Have to Win the Game Steam $0.00 2012-05-06 2015-08-20 Seen on the Listen to the Wind screen of the Extra Spicy mode near the end of the campaign. Alternatively available in the list of sprites by using the edit command by pressing ` in-game YHTWTG sigil.png Following the trail of clues in changed titles of the rooms, the player arrives to the clue Backmask the Myth, referring to the screen Hydra is Myth of the original campaign. By playing the original campaign and entering the password ARDYH, the player is teleported to a series of secret rooms marked by the sigil. One of them has the piece in the pause menu. YHTWTG piece.png YouTube
20 Bombernauts Steam $9.99 2015-07-31 2015-09-12 On a map named Sigil Bombernauts sigil.jpg There is a setting in the options menu called Awesomeness that takes text input and can return secret functions. The players on the Sigil level are given titles, namely complex, reduced, irrational, and transcendental. Inputting CRIT to the Awesomeness option while playing the Sigil level makes the puzzle piece appear. Bombernauts sharp.gif YouTube
21 QWOP Website $0.00 2008-11-12 2015-08-04 Appears on a barrier if you go 3m backwards from the starting line (WebGL version only) QWOP Sigil.png To see the piece you need to have a device with an accelerometer. Go backwards to see the sigil and turn the device upside down. The gravity will switch and you'll fly up to the piece in the sky. QWOP Piece.png YouTube
22 Choice Chamber Steam $9.99 2015-07-16 2016-09-15 In a normal playthrough you can only get a glitching heart after the cheating heart, which requires a shop that doesn't occur earlier than level 10. But using the debug mode to travel through rooms you can get the glitching heart on level 8. You'll see a pulsing sigil over the chest if you get to it. CCsigil.png Obtaining a glitched heart from a chest under the sigil pops up an error message that includes "say nothing". Saying "nothing" in a linked twitch chat while in room 8 causes the chat bot to emit a reversed imgur url. The image, also mirrored, is cryptically asking you to go back 501 rooms from the beginning and into room -500. Once there you needed to wait while the map piece assembles itself. CCpiece.png N/A
23 Reagan Gorbachev Steam $9.99 2016-02-24 2016-02-24 Sigil is in a hidden room in Level 22. Find the rocketlauncher and shoot the right wall at the end to get there. RG sigil.png Trigger an alarm so the door the enemies come through on the top of the level will open. You can walk through it after that and the piece is out there as seen here RG piece.png N/A
24 Firewatch: Free-Roam mode Steam $19.99 2016-02-09 2016-11-09 Sigil is on a cover of a journal found at Camp Arapahoe in one of the abandoned old shelters. Inside the journal there is a text, some of its letters are italicized. These letters spell out firewatchgamecomdataclientjpg. That's a valid link on the game's website Firewatch Sigil.png Not applicable, leads to the letter soup rather than the piece N/A
25 Bit Bit Blocks iOS Android $2.99 2015-11-12 2015-11-12 The sigil appears on a menu screen next to the version number of the game. Bitbitblocks sigil.png Hit the menu buttons repeatedly. It will start playing the melody for the Ode to Joy. Go back to the main screen and tap the 4 blocks. They expand to 8, and play notes when tapped. Repeat the melody to obtain the piece. Bitbitblocks piece.png N/A
26 Read Only Memories Steam $19.99 2015-10-06 2016-10-10 Sigil is shown in the post-game email section, as one of the email icons. Replaced a conspiracy-alike image that used to say "watching you…". ROM-sigil.png The email with the sigil's icon says to send a message to an email address; after following a scripted (but possibly manually operated) exchange, the piece was attached in the final message. ROM piece.jpg N/A

Questionable Appearances

After the ARG got enough popularity and press coverage, a lot of developers (especially the ones, who felt they didn't get invited) talked about adding the sigil in their own games for various purposes (be it fun or trolling, or just willingness to be included). It's easy enough to make a hoax like this and people who are solving the puzzle don't have a reliable way to verify the authenticity of the sigil. Especially when it's planted long after multiple media articles.

Since sigil-like images like that do pop up and people raise questions about them, we're documenting them too. Once there is enough investigation, a sigil can turn out to be real and will be moved to the confirmed section.

Found In Release date Sigil Added Sigil Location Sigil Image Reasoning
Roblox level 2016-08-26 2016-08-26 Appears after a button press in the beginning Roblox-sigillike.png Roblox levels are user-generated content. There is no developer name or any sort of credibility to it. The user that posted the level (ChallengerDelight) registered on the website the same day. Here's what happens after beating the level
Accounting 2016-10-18 2016-10-18 On the credits whiteboard Accounting-sigillike.png 1. The people on the development team joked about the ARG after discovering it before, see here. 2. The image is very different from the actual sigil in the bottom part, this is common for parodies. 3. Very late inclusion of the sigil.

After the Jig Was Up, it was confirmed that the sigil did not originate from Jim Crawford, but William Pugh was added to the credits nevertheless, making it an official part of the ARG.

Emily Is Away Too 2017-05-26 2017-05-26 Sigil occasionally appears on characters' profiles, and in the gallery when the password frogfractions is entered. please add This game was released after the ARG had been solved, therefore it was not part of it. The game features its own parody version of the ARG. It is unclear whether this has been fully solved.

Sigils That Were Not Found

We predicted that there are more sigils that we didn't found based on the fact that every spot of the map was otherwise covered by multiple pieces (a redundancy to allow solvers not to find every single one). In the end credits Frog Fractions 2 lists "Extra Special Thanks" to people who planted sigils in their games, so we can find them ex post facto.

Person's name Game Release date Sigil Added Sigil Location Sigil Image Piece Image Notes
Chandana Ekanayake Wayward Sky 2016-10-10 2016-10-10 On the bottom of a suitcase filled with coloured bricks in a sandboxy menu / hub world area WaywardSky sigil.jpg The game is a PS4 exclusive and console games have giant gaps between going gold and releasing, so the sigil was probably planted months before october, although at the moment of release it could have hardly been relevant for solving the ARG. This game was left unsolved for 7 years until a solution was found starting in the main games lobby, heading to the 3 main teleportable areas and moving your PSVR camera through the objects you will see a switch behind each area, flipping all 3 and returning to the level select screen and turning around will find the map piece planted on the wall. Solution
Megan Fox Hot Tin Roof 2015-02-20 2015-08-10 In a hidden dungeon, behind a fake wall HotTinRoof Sigil.jpg HotTinRoof Piece.png Each color is tied to a key/controller input: Blue = jump, Red = interact, Green = reload, Yellow = shoot. After you complete a sequence one of the bottom parts lights up. Once you've completed all sequences that you are presented with and all the bottom parts are lighten up, the piece is displayed. Youtube
Daniel Mullins Pony Island 2016-01-04 2021-03-20 There is no sigil Pony island.png This one was not from Jim, but added by the developer after the ARG blew up in the news, the developer was dared by two friends to add a fake one. The game does not have a sigil itself, but a puzzle piece and the developer felt bad about it afterwards. However, it was never found until 2020-03-24. This piece is located on the fake computer in the text file help.txt place your cursor at the bottom right and the piece will appear at the left of the file. The piece was nevertheless made official part of the ARG by listing Daniel in credits.
Alejandro Quan-Madrid Glitch City Magazine 2015-06-17 2015-06-14 In the corner of the front page of Glitch City Issue 3, a print-only zine. GlitchCity Sigil.jpg GlitchCity Piece.jpg This sigil was in a print-only Zine given out somewhere in June 2015 from Glitch City. The puzzle on page 7, attributed as "???" to Rachel Sala, is a connect-the-dots diagram that produces the code for the imgur link of the piece.
Josh Sutphin Legacy of the Elder Star 2016-06-07 2016-06-07 The sigil is on the main menu once you clear the game's Story Mode without using any continues. LegacyOfTheElderStar.jpg LegacyOfTheElderStar Piece.jpg The sigil was on a screenshot that a player of the game taken on 17 June 2016, so it's safe to assume it was added on release. Clicking the sigil shows the icon of a boss skull and then leads to a grid, where you have to input a binary code — use the numbers at the end of each boss's name (88, 124, 175, 201, 254) converted into binary. After that the grid disappears and the sigil is shown once again. Clicking it opens the piece in a new tab. Detailed album of everything

Resources

Investigative Tools

Developer Exchange Archive (horribly outdated)

Media Appearances

25th Jan. 2016

[EN] PCGamer - There is an indie ARG on the loose

[EN] VG24/7 - Is this a Steam AR game to promote The Witness?

[EN] Kotaku - For Years, A Few Steam Games Seem To Have Been Hiding A Larger Secret

[DE] Gameplane - The Witness – ARG, eine Sigille und Rätsel über Rätsel

26th Jan 2016

[EN] MXDWN - The Game Is Afoot! Steam Games Hiding A Secret

14th Feb 2016

[EN] DVSGaming - Crypts to Trains: The ARG That Connects 9 Random Games

31th Jul 2016

[EN] Vox Ludicus - There is a new ARG, encompassing 15 indie games on Steam. — this article is unfortunately lost.

16th Aug 2016

[EN] Kotaku - The "Eye Sigil" Conspiracy Is Indie Games' Most Arcane Mystery

17th Aug 2016

[EN], [DE], [IT] [ES-MX] [RS] Vice Gaming - These Mysterious Symbols Have Been in 19 Video Games and No One Knows Why

19th Aug 2016

[EN] Fraghero - A mysterious symbol has been found in 19 unrelated videogames and no one knows why

[EN] Mygaming - The greatest unsolved mystery in video games

[CN] 触乐网 - 两年来,这张神秘图片出现在19个不同的游戏中

20th Sep 2016

[PL] CD-Action - "Więźniowie labiryntu", issue#261 (11/2016), page 82

15th Nov 2016

[EN] Waypoint — Those Mysterious Symbols Hidden In 24 Games Have Crossed Over With 'Frog Fractions 2'

[EN] Kotaku — Indie Games’ Most Cryptic Mystery Apparently Just A Frog Fractions Teaser