Survivor 2299 Site Fake

After nearly a month's worth of teasing, countdowns, secret codes, and a ton of speculation, the Survivor 2299 mystery has finally been solved. Finally, we can put an end to what was becoming one of the bigger ARGs in recent memory.

Unfortunately, while the Survivor 2299 site finally revealed its true nature, what followed was a collective groan from anyone who had been refreshing the site daily. Yep, Survivor 2299 was nothing more than an elaborate hoax.

As early as yesterday morning, the site was still receiving regular updates — more clues for gamers to uncover. Additionally, the most recent updates mention of The Institute, a location in Fallout: New Vegas, once again setting sleuthing gamers off to the races.

But, seemingly out of nowhere, the site was updated with a few different messages confirming it was nothing more than a hoax. The site even went so far as to include a YouTube embed for Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" — ostensibly the middle finger in Internet terms.

Fallout 4 Please Stand By

With so many signs pointing towards the site's connection to Bethesda's Fallout franchise — from the symbol at the bottom of the page to various quotes about post-apocalyptic circumstances — fans couldn't help but want the site to be legitimate. Yet, there always loomed a sneaky suspicion that a few hoaxers were pulling one over on a devoted fan base.

When the site first popped up, a few news outlets, including this one, were quick to point out the several reasons why it wasn't real. Still, fans were hopeful that the naysayers were wrong and, when the site started rapidly adding new elements, many more started to believe. In fact, some still choose to believe, even in the face of nearly undeniable proof and a rather rude message from the site's creator(s).

However, while this particular site didn't confirm the existence of Fallout 4 that doesn't mean Bethesda is not hard at work on a sequel. They have to be well aware that fans are clamoring for another trip to that nuclear wasteland, and would love to see what the next-gen consoles can add to their open world. Similarly, while the VGX festivities will likely not host a Fallout 4 reveal, that doesn't mean E3 2014 won't.

Are you disappointed that the Survivor 2299 site turned out to be an elaborate prank? Did you think it was a fake all along?

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Source: Survivor 2299