G: So, to start, could you describe what does Double Twenty does, exactly?

M: It depends on the day you stop by the studio ;) D20 is involved in all kinds of creative content development, but we focus primarily on entertainment and advertising/promotion. We create original stories and games, we also work with existing brands and intellectual properties (IP) to enhance and expand them on behalf of our clients and their needs. You can learn more about us by visiting D20 (d20.com) or Matt Wolf.

G: In 2007, Double Twenty won a Primetime Emmy award for its work on the alternate reality game Ocular Effect for ABC Family’s mini-series, Fallen. Can you describe that project?

M: Like The Secret Device ARG, OE was an amazing project. Originally, I was brought in to ABC Family because they wanted to figure out a way to bridge together a three part mini-series (Fallen) that had on-air release dates that were months apart. I felt that an ARG would be a perfect binding agent to accomplish this. I created the story and design, hired the vendors and the rest is history.

G: It certainly was. I enjoyed following it (and maintaining a wiki for it), but still I, as I’m sure those even still frequenting the OE forums, desperately want to know what happened to Faith!

M: Hah! You’re taking me back in time but it’s a fair question. Originally, I had written OE in a classic three act story. It’s a story that I actually hope to tell one day either as a mini-series or movie/animation. All I can say is that we only had the time and budget to tell and deploy Act One of the three. The fiction I created for OE went WAY behind what players experienced. All I’m willing to say about Faith is that she was kidnapped by the Cowboy Hat man and she is still alive but being held captive but I won’t say where or why. Faith has a half brother… his name is Aaron ;) A battle is raging between the Creator and Lucifer and Earth and humanity is at stake… Bethlehem Conservatory and the Oculus are at the center of it all.

G: Can you name some other past memorable projects you were involved with, ARG-related or otherwise?

M: Well, OE (Ocular Effect) was the only other ARG I’ve created, so certainly that ranks high on the list in terms of alternate reality. I’ve been involved in many videogame projects over the years (with many great people)… the ones that stand out most include Sonic, Virtua Fighter, Simpsons: Hit & Run and most recently the Bourne Conspiracy. I also create board-games (the purest form of game – videogames without the special effects I always say ;) – a few years back I co-created BubbleBrain and am just finishing a new one that should be in stores next year!

G: How did you come to pick up this particular project, to promote Hellboy II?

M: Mostly through my business connections and my past success with OE as an ARG creator. The Guillermo Del Toro, the producers of the film and Universal Pictures Marketing were all VERY supportive of the process and an absolute pleasure to work with.

G: How would you describe The Secret Device in 100 words or less? :)

M: At its core, The Secret Device (TSD) is a brand extension of the Hellboy II: The Golden Army (HBII) universe. It was designed to simultaneously entertain on its own, while offering a parallel story by borrowing fiction from the upcoming HBII film. Our goal was to offer a very unique player perspective of HBII from the inside-out and without encroaching on any significant film plot lines. Upon arrival, visitors are greeted with unique stories of a mystical nature, friendly eco-focused messaging and of course The Secret Device – which acts as our central hub for the ARG by providing clues, direction and a visual progress meter.

G: That’s over 100 words, but that’s ok ;). How closely did you work with the creators of Hellboy to provide The Secret Device story?

M: The key stakeholders always knew what we were up to. They did an AMAZING job by giving us the freedom to create what we needed to for our medium without interfering. It was an ideal setting for creating an ARG. GDT (Guillermo Del Toro) was really instrumental in our success. He was incredibly supportive from day one and very involved in both giving us direction and in the Hellboy forums. I’ve got to say, I was a GDT fan going into this project but after working with him… I’m truly in awe of his vision and his ability to execute… he’s also a SUPER nice guy… a very rare breed indeed.

G: I have to agree – his excitement for Hellboy as a whole is contagious. It’s great to know he put personal time into TSD. After all, he was (and still is) even a member of HETFET!

M: He absolutely is! He was very into playing with the players in the HBII Universal forums. He loves his fans dearly and he’s also got this super playful side to him – so naturally, he jumped right in to the ARG and started playing along! It was really cool to have him involved at that level!!

G: Was accuracy and canonical content an issue with your story at all?

M: The most important thing for both GDT and Universal was that we incorporate “Save The Trolls” into the experience and of course remain true to the HBII property. This was a mandate that we ran with and worked hard to incorporate into the ARG and of course into the fiction that bound ARG and film. I think this will be pretty obvious once the movie comes out – our audience should have some fun seeing the parallels between the ARG and film.

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Tags: d20, hellboy

Categories: ARGs General, Puppetmasters