Cloverfield 2 Is Actually Happening? Here’s The Big Hint
The Cloverfield tie-in Slusho website has been reactivated, fueling rumors of a sequel.
Though the Cloverfield franchise has brought us follow-up films like 10 Cloverfield Lane, and The Cloverfield Paradox, it’s been 15 years since we’ve seen a direct sequel to Matt Reeves’ 2008 film. But according to Bloody Disgusting, it seems as if Cloverfield 2 is finally in development. The clue that we’re all excited about comes in the form of the in-universe Slusho website that has been recently relaunched to promote the film.
For those of you who don’t remember, or simply don’t get too invested in ARG campaigns, Slusho is a fictional drink that ties into the Cloverfield universe. This highly addictive beverage that’s comprised of Seabed’s Nectar, and combined with fruity flavors like “Blueberry Zoom,” and “Strawberry Tasty,” was used to aggressively promote the first Cloverfield film.
And this gives us a healthy reason to speculate that Slusho will be tied into the marketing of Cloverfield 2. At least, we can’t think of any other reason the website would be up and running again.
So what’s the point of Slusho, and what is an ARG campaign, you ask? Simply put, ARG (or Alternate Reality Game) campaigns utilize real-world elements like marketing websites to construct a much larger narrative story. In the case of Cloverfield 2, the secret ingredient of Seabed’s Nectar that was discovered “on the deep ocean floor, under amazing pressure and extreme cold,” is assumed to be what caused the monster in the original Cloverfield film to surface and wreak havoc on New York City.
In other words, the Monster in Cloverfield was at peace deep below the ocean, and Slusho’s parent company, Tagruato, may have poked the bear just a little too much in obtaining the Seabed’s Nectar to produce their most profitable and popular beverage. Whether Slusho will be prominently featured in Cloverfield 2, or just used as another viral marketing gimmick is up for speculation, but it’s safe to say that we’re going to see a similar viral campaign throughout the coming months to promote the upcoming film. But if you see Slusho pop-ups, we urge you to err with caution, because as their marketing states, “you can’t drink just six!”
And this form of marketing is absolutely crucial to the development of Cloverfield 2. One of the factors that made its predecessor so successful was the mystery that shrouded the project. The original Cloverfield did an excellent job teasing audiences with untitled teaser trailers, as well as their viral marketing efforts for the found footage monster film. It’s this very combination of found footage and lore from the marketing that made the film seem all too real upon its release.
Director Matt Reeves has even spoken about the development of Cloverfield 2, but he’s been tight-lipped about the potential plot. And it’s safe to assume that the marketing behind it will slowly reveal clues that will be crucial to the upcoming sequel. So for now, we’ll have to wait, and we’ll absolutely be hitting the “refresh” button on the Slusho site to see if there are any further developments.
