The Pacific Drive: Whispers In The Woods ARG was an ARG ran by Ironwood Studios from August 20th 2025 and is ongoing as of September 28th 2025. The ARG was a part of the reveal of the Whispers In The Woods DLC trailer.
Timeline
August 20th 2025
The Ironwood Studios Youtube channel started a livestream entitled "can you see?" with the description "come and look".
The stream lasted for 6:58 minutes and was a looping video of a bridge in the Outer Zone with trees in the foreground and a large structure in the distant background. The stream's audio contained an SSTV (Slow Scan Television) transmission in Robot 24 format that looped with the video. When ran through a decoder, this was the resulting image:
"can you see" decoded SSTV Image
August 23rd 2025
The Ironwood Studios Youtube channel started a livestream entitled "wait" with the description "look".
The stream lasted for 8:23 minutes and started with first person video of walking forward towards a Big Dan's in the Outer Zone, turning left then turning to face the Big Dan's before cutting to a stationary view of the Big Dan's at the 14 second mark. The stream's audio contained another SSTV transmission in Robot 24 format. When ran through a decoder, this was the resulting image:
"wait" SSTV Image
August 27th 2025
The Ironwood Studios Youtube channel started a livestream entitled "signal" with the description "listen".
The stream lasted for 2:29 minutes and started with first person video of walking forward towards a house structure before cutting to a stationary view of the structure at the 3 second mark. The stream's audio contained another SSTV transmission in Robot 24 format however the transmission is cut short at the 19 second mark of the video. The video switches to an ARDA Warning screen and accompanying this screen is faint morse code audio. At the 35 second mark the video loops.
A 38 second clip of a single loop of the stream was also uploaded to Ironwood Studio's X and Bluesky accounts.
When the SSTV was ran through a decoder, this was the resulting image:
"signal" SSTV Image
The morse code audio overlaying the ARDA Interrupt screen translated to “DECODE THE FAXEI” which was assumed to have been a spelling error by the community and that it was actually “DECODE THE FAXES” as one dot may have been missing from the end of the transmission segment. This was believed to be referring to the following set of Fax Machine messages that were added to the game in the Endless Expeditions update:
Message
Note
Z befn kyvp'iv nrktyzex dv, kyrk kyvp'iv rcnrpj czjkvezex reu ivruzex. Ef dfiv. Z yrmv kf xvk kyv nfiuj flk fw dp yvru, reu kyzj zj kyv fecp nrp Z tre uf kyzj reu bvvg zk flk fw kyvzi yreuj
"I know they're watching me, that they're always listening and reading. No more. I have to get the words out of my head, and this is the only way I can do this and keep it out of their hands" (ROT+17 cipher)
"You wouldn't believe the things they're working on- the things they're creating, experimenting on. They say it's for progress, for the future. The only future they want is one they have control over." (ROT+24 cipher)
Tlngg barhcgu oif wookgrzr, bo hhh usegtums bf errur.
"Trust nothing but yourself, do not hesitate or stray." (Vigenère cipher, key: AUTONOMY)
"I cant even use the same method they figure it out too fast. If you cant get the words out of your head theyre already inside." (Vigenère cipher, key: EXCLUSION)
The ARDA Warning Interrupt screen has a hidden eye symbol overlaying the text of the warning. This can be seen as a faint green discoloration in the original image but can be better seen after editing.
The phone number in the warning (360-320-6232) was found to be a working number and when called would provide the following message:
"Thanks for reaching out to the Advanced Resonance Development Agency. Unfortunately our public communications system is temporarily unavailable due to... technical difficulties. We hope you have a pleasant day and please try again some time in the future."
September 6th 2025
are you listening?
The Ironwood Studios Youtube channel started a livestream entitled "are you listening?" with the description "it's always there".
The stream lasted for 4:54 minutes and was a looping video of an open train carriage with a graffitied ARDA Logo on the right door in the Outer Zone. The stream's audio contained another SSTV transmission in Robot 24 format. The audio of the video also had a droning/buzzing noise between the SSTV signal loops. When ran through a decoder, this was the resulting SSTV image:
"are you listening?" SSTV Image
The stream's audio was viewed in spectrogram form and revealed the message "ANY DAY NOW" in the audio sections with the droning/buzzing noise.
"are you listening?" stream audio in spectrogram form"are you listening" stream audio spectrogram close up
any day now
Within an hour of the "are you listening?" stream ending, another livestream started on the Ironwood Studios Youtube channel titled "any day now" with the description "soon".
The stream lasted roughly 15 hours with a few restarts and was of a TV set on a workbench in the Auto Shop. However the layout did not match the in-game layout of the Auto-Shop and instead matched the layout seen in the Pacific Drive 2023 Gameplay Trailer.
"any day now" Stream Screenshot
Social Media Updates
During the "any day now" livestream, Ironwood Studios updated their X and Bluesky header images to match the image in the livestream. A "👁" emoji was also added to the end of their name on Bluesky.
Ironwood Studios' Bluesky AccountIronwood Studios' X Account
some day
As soon as the "any day now" livestream ended, another livestream started on the Ironwood Studios Youtube channel and went through various name changes and description changes.
The stream was of the same TV set on a workbench in the Auto Shop as the "any day now" livestream.
Title
Description
any day now
(matching description unknown)
who is watching
(matching description unkonwn)
we are trying to reach you
Matching description unknown)
soon enough
(matching description unknown)
some day
soon
any day now
(description unknown)
are you listening
wait
Other descriptions that appeared during this time included:
it will happen
signal unstable
signal clear
signal delayed
September 7th 2025
some day
The second stream ran into the next day.
After multiple name changes to the ongoing livestream, the prior "any day now" stream was then deleted from the Ironwood Studios Youtube Channel.
Ironwood Studios also posted and quickly deleted a message in the livestream chat "did you see us"
The description then changed from "wait" to "losing stability" after which the stream ended.
any day now
Within an hour of the prior stream ending, a new stream titled "any day now" started on the Ironwood Studios Youtube channel with the description "signal reacquired". The description was later removed entirely.
The stream had more name changes
Title
Description
any day now
signal reacquired
any day now
description blank
did you see
we were there
stay and look
any day now
There was then an SSTV transmission which decoded to the following image:
The stream title and description then had more changes.
Title
Description
any day now
broken protocol D323-DCRD.3
some day soon
are you listening
can you see
some day soon
September 8th 2025
The stream title changed to "can you see?" and the description changed to "we are waiting". The stream description was later removed.
At 3pm (GMT -7) a countdown timer starting at 18:00:00 appeared and replaced the eye symbol on the TV monitor. When the timer appeared it was accompanied by another SSTV signal. A new signal was broadcast every hour with the last SSTV transmission being at 1:00:00.
During the last minute of the countdown Ironwood Studios posted in the livestream chat "can you see?"
At the end of the timer the stream faded to black and then the trailer for the Pacific Drive Whispers In The Woods DLC was revealed in the stream. The trailer was uploaded separately to Ironwood Studios' Youtube channel and a steam page was added for the DLC.
September 11th 2025
A question was asked in the Official Pacific Drive Discord in the ask-the-devs-questions channel if Ironwood would consider doing more ARGs in the future. Blake, Ironwood's Communications Community Manager/Marketing Manager, responded "I think a better question is, is it over?"
September 22nd 2025
It was noticed that in the description of "The Art of the Zone | A Pacific Drive Developer Diary" video on Ironwood Studios' Youtube page, an encoded message had been added. This was the same message as in one of the previously mentioned encoded Fax messages.
"You wouldn't believe the things they're working on- the things they're creating, experimenting on. They say it's for progress, for the future. The only future they want is one they have control over."
September 26th 2025
The encrypted message was removed from the description of "The Art of the Zone | A Pacific Drive Developer Diary" video on Ironwood Studios' Youtube page.
Ironwood Studios went live on their Instagram, "ironwoodpics". During the livestream a QR code was shown.
QR code from Instagram Live on September 26th 2025
When scanned the code led to a google drive folder shared by the user "oryctolaguscuniculus78". The folder was named "Records(Just in Case)" and contained two folders and a .txt file. The two folders were named "Heard" and "Seen". The .txt file was named "file.txt".
Heard
The Heard folder contains four .wav files: Broadcast Attempt (1).wav, Broadcast Attempt (7).wav, Broadcast Attempt (22).wav and Broadcast Attempt.wav.
All files are SSTV transmissions. Decoded each shows the following image:
Each image appears to be a clearer version of SSTV transmissions from the September 8th 2025 livestream countdown.
file.txt
The file.txt file contains the following:
this is for
whoever can find it
after me
October 1st 2025
Ironwood Studios posted a 40 second clip from the "can you see?" livestream to their X and Bluesky accounts.
It was then discovered that files had been added to the "Records(Just in Case)" google drive folder. These new files included an additional four .wav files in "Heard", an additional four .png files in "Seen" and a new .txt file.
Heard
The four new files were Broadcast Attempt (4), Broadcast Attempt (8), Broadcast Attempt (17) and Broadcast Attempt (19). Each were SSTV transmissions.
The four new files in "Seen" were named similarly to the original four images.
Organic.pngOut of Gas.pngSwayed Branches - No Wind.pngWatching.png
file.txt
The new file.txt file was named file_2.txt and contains the following:
it's important not only to observe, but to record
to see
leave behind my
thoughts
October 8th 2025
The Records (Just in Case) shared folder had files added to it.
Heard
Five new .wav files were added to the folder "Heard". These were Broadcast Attempt (2), Broadcast Attempt (3), Broadcast Attempt (11), Broadcast Attempt (18) and Broadcast Attempt (99). All were SSTV signals.
Four new .png files were added to the "Seen" folder and were named similarly to the previous files.
Been Warned.pngCharms.pngHole.pngOne Way.png
file.txt
A third file.txt file was added and named "file_3.txt and contained the following:
%@&ndReaching d)#outt8$##@3y32*&*^^^
Ori@#$@gin MesA&@#$aging Device Fai$^@ng
!@#^u% t^$@o In#AAtabil#@#!
October 11th 2025
The Records (Just in Case) shared folder had files added to it.
Heard
Four new .wav files were added to the folder "Heard". These were Broadcast Attempt (6), Broadcast Attempt (10), Broadcast Attempt (20) and Broadcast Attempt (44). All were SSTV signals.
A fourth file.txt file was added and named "file_4.txt and contained the following:
have requestioned leftover ARDA comm equipment, repairs ongoing
will reach out and provide more
soon
October 17th 2025
The Records (Just in Case) shared folder had files added to it. Two .jpg files were added to the main folder, and five .png files were added to the "Seen" folder.
Seen
The five new .png files were named similarly to the previous files.
Crossing.pngSpin.pngSurvivor.pngTricks Of The Light.pngUp There.png
. JPG Files
The two .jpg files were named Marie-1.jpg and Marie-1-2.jpg. Both are images of a typed message by Marie Chalfin.
Marie-1.jpg
My name is Marie Chalfin. This will be my first broadcast from appropriated ARDA communication equipment I've repaired. However, it is technically my 1374th entry recording and documenting the state of the Olympic Exclusion Zone on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. It has been eleven years since the last evacuation truck left and the walls closed. But I will continue to transmit current information to ensure that I am not mistaken for one of the Zone's many voices lost to time, should anyone receive this. I believe these transmissions will be my clearest to date, if I can maintain the integrity of the equipment I've fixed. It is also important for my own sanity. I am, to the best of my knowledge, perfectly sane, and my senses are accurately aware of my surroundings.
Just because ARDA is no longer active, doesn't mean the Zone has stopped, or that my duty to humanity has stopped. I imagined it would be a slow descent after ARDA left. The remaining people would dwindle. The chaos would settle without constant experiments to stir it up. But things keep changing everyday, albeit at a slower pace now that there are fewer constantly shifting variables. As messy as it was, ARDA did manage to evacuate the majority of the Zone's residents. However, many people were left behind, forgotten or out of reach. Many of us chose to stay.
I began working for ARDA several years before the Zone was fully abandoned. I never saw it in its heyday, full of energy and hope. I was hired as an administrative assistant, and was told it would be an average job. What I was really hired for was salvage, and it was hardly average. It was ARDAs last attempts to save what they could. Records, reports, documents, journals. Anything to not watch every last penny they'd thrown at the project be swallowed by radiation, instability, or some other horror. So much of it was poorly organized, missing content, encrypted with no hint of a key. Piecing things together was sometimes a satisfying puzzle, and some of it I'll never solve.Marie-1-2.jpg
I also collected whatever else I could find. Newspapers, personal diaries or letters, books. The Zone was its people just as much as it was its work. Many of these items were left behind as people scrambled to gather valuables and make it to the trucks. They would have been quietly forgotten, like everything else the Zone has swallowed. But I am now their keeper. My hopes are that one day we will be able to safely get the library out of here, and keep it out of a forgotten, dusty federal warehouse. Every day that goes by is another day to decay the words on those pages. More realistically, I hope to make contact outside of the Zone, and broadcast as much as I can before I or the library are gone forever.
The benefit of broadcasting equipment is the reach. Unencrypted and widely accessible. I believe this is my best shot at anyone actually receiving my transmissions. But my time is precious. The Zone is unforgiving. Some of its people are worse. I do not have a team anymore, and there is no funding, or anything to do with it should I have it. There is freedom in the solitude, as I am no longer blocked from access by anyone. no oversight means I am free to pursue whatever I deem important. But there are still things I have to acquire or figure out myself, much like the synchrotron emission analysis data I had once tried to fax them about. I maintain it all alone, myself and the library.
There are matters more pressing than others, things that more people deserve to know. Possibly need to know. There are new things happening; but the more I dig the more I'm convinced the group behind them aren't new. activity that went unnoticed before, most likely intentionally concealed. I've recorded some of their transmissions, captured them at the highest quality I could. I have more to share. I have to know this is worth pursuing, that this method is working. I need proof that someone, anyone is paying attention to my messages, and can find the things hidden here with the key from my fax.
Throughout both images, specific characters and spaces are underlined in red and when separated from the main text are as follows:
lwf lowflq usdd sjvs j sfv v lg ugeemfauslagfk sfv osal
The encrypted text is a vigenere cipher with the key "SSS" and decrypts to:
ten twenty call arda r and d to communications and wait
October 18th 2025
It was found that when calling the ARDA phone number from the 'signal' broadcast, the message had changed and was now:
"Thank you for reaching out to ARDA, fortunately our technical difficulties have almost been resolved and our phone line should resume normal operations soon. Goodbye."
October 20th 2025
When calling the ARDA phone number from the 'signal' broadcast, the message had once again changed. When called the number now had the following option tree:
"You have reached ARDA. For emergency information or in the case of an actual emergency, please dial 0. For external departments please dial 1. For Research and Development please dial 2. For sanitation, infectious diseases and infrastructure, please dial 3. For internal operations please dial 4. And for ARDA sanctioned evacuations, please dial 5."
0 - Emergency Information
Pressing 0 for emergency information results in a muffled unintelligible voice speaking before the call ends.
1 - External Departments
Pressing 1 for external departments leads to another option tree:
"You have reached external departments. To report strange sightings press 1. For Press and PR inquiries press 2. For legal press 3."
1-1 - Strange Sightings
Pressing 1 again for strange sightings leads to another option tree:
"You have reached ARDA's reporting line for strange sightings. For appearances of waltzing frogs dial 1. To report...Bob, 2. For inexplicable noise phenomena hit 3. For all remaining anomalous sightings please press 4."
1-1-1 - Waltzing Frogs
"Due to a high number of reports of the waltzing frogs phenomena, we are no longer accepting or need any more reports. Or pictures. Thank you for your understanding."
1-1-2 - Bob
"Hello it pains us greatly that the frequency of alleged sightings of an entity known as Bob is so high that we have to create a specific voicemail entry just to handle the sheer volume. Please cease and desist. We don't need anymore. We have enough. Goodbye."
1-1-3 - Inexplicable Noise Phenomena
"Hello-" (Sounds of distorted laughter from multiple? voices)
1-1-4 - Remaining Anomalous Sightings
"Thank you for your report. It has been recorded."
1-2 - Press and PR Inquiries
"ARDA is no longer accepting any interview or press opportunities. Please cease further inquiries.
1-3 - Legal
"We're sorry but this voicemail is ful-"
2 - Research and Development
Pressing 2 leads to another option tree:
"Thank you for reaching the R&D departments, For communications, telecommunications, and digital molecular materialization please press 1. For agriculture, biology and astro-microbiology please press 2. For physics, LIM mathematics please press 3. For the department of chronology please press 4. last but not least for dimensions please press 5. and for all other options please return to the base menu. Thank you."
2-1 - Communications, Telecommunications and Digital Molecular Materialization
Translates to:
RESPONSE RECORDED. NEW MESSAGE TO FOLLOW.
2-2 - Agriculture, Biology and Astro-Microbiology
"You've reached the department of Agriculture, Biology and Micro Astro Biology. We currently cannot take your call but would like to remind you to maintain lab diligence and cleanliness when dealing with the tardigrade infestations. Thank you."
2-3 - Physics and LIM Mathematics
"You've reached the department of physics and LIM mathematics. Thank you for reaching out but we are unfortunately out of voicemail tape cassettes. We are also additionally out of regular tape, paper, pencils, pens and volunteers. Uhh, might be a while until we get back to you."
2-4 - Department of Chronology
Pressing 4 to reach the department of chronology takes you to another option tree:
"Thank you for uhh calling the department of chronology. Uhh we-were running a bit behind. Heh. just some uh some time humor there but we- we should be back shortly. Uh if you have anything pertaining to uhh, you know, time loop cycles found out in the world please press 1. and if you are inquiring in any perspective mirror timelines please press 2. Thank you."
2-4-1 - Time Loop Cycles
Pressing 1 returns you to the base menu however it is just silence. Pressing another number again after that will take you to the associated option from the base menu.
2-4-2 - Perspective Mirror Timelines
"Hey this is Tim. I'm calling back about the venue. Um we're available most weekdays from about 4:30 to 8. Um, our going price is about 100 for an hour you can take it for the whole night if you want to we're not really that booked. Um. I was a little concerned about the context you were trying to book it for. I -I -I don't really know what a harmonic assembly space means. Um if you could give me a little more information. Before I really sign off on this. But I mean like I said we're not super booked so if you- if you really want it its yours. Uh give me a call back. in order to reach me this is my number. Thanks."
2-5 - Dimensions
Pressing 5 to reach dimensions takes you to another option tree:
"You've reached the ARDA dimensional research department. For dimensions 1 through 3, please press 1. For dimensions 4, 5, 6 through 11 please press 2. For inquiries into any other dimension please reach out to your designated stability point of contact."
2-5-1 - Dimensions 1-3
"Thank you for reaching the offices of Dr. Teddy Wheatman. I am indisposed at the moment but will be available in the future."
2-5-2 - Dimensions 4, 5, 6-11
"Hey Uh, our inbox is currently full so sorry about that. Uhm, if you're inquiring about a potential test subject candidacy please know we are no longer accepting further applicants. Thank you."
3 - Sanitation, Infectious Diseases and Infrastructure
(Coughing throughout) "He-Hello- Leave-Leave A A- Me-Message"
4 - Internal Operations
"Thank you for reaching out to internal operations. at this time we are no longer open to public inquiries. If this is an internal matter please reach out to the appropriate contact."
5 - ARDA Sanctioned Evacuations
"No current evacuations are in progress. Uh, please try again later."
Dialing 6, 7, 8 or 9
"Uh, you've pressed the wrong number please try again."
Records (Just In Case) Folder Update
After the community called the ARDA number and navigated to the Research and Development: Communications, Telecommunications and Digital Molecular Materialization section of the options tree, the google drive folder had 3 additional .jpg files added to it: marie-2-1.jpg, marie-2-2.jpg and maries-2-3.jpg.
marie-2-1.jpg
marie-2-1.jpg My name is Marie Chalfin. This is my second broadcast. It is my 1378th entry recording and documenting the state of the Olympic Exclusion Zone on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. I know now that this is working, and someone is listening. Thank you. It has been a long time since I have had the comfort of knowing my record keeping is being received and I find myself relieved knowing that the extreme efforts of monitoring decades old electrical systems for the right sign were indeed worth it. While there is much I would like to pass to you, it will have to wait, for at this moment I have a more pressing warning, however some context is needed.
Beyond ARDA, there has never been a particularly large number of organized groups in the Zone, before or after the decommissioning. a new job, a recent move, a new government presence in your previously sleepy town, another upheaval if you or yours were reassigned, your home lost to disaster. There were, and are, an abundance of things to sweep people off their feet. I don't believe anyone ever felt particularly stable for any length of time and I can attest to this personally.
But difficulty can give rise to closeness, to a community. Dinners with neighbors. Churches. Town hall meetings. family gatherings at playgrounds. Small comforts. These are to be expected in some form or another any time humans are kept together for even a moderate amount of time. Some of these groups I have taken notice of and even considered attending when they were more active. Most if not all have faded over the years and evacuations. It takes something, or someone special to organize something larger. A real community. And now more than ever I am confident one such community exists.
It's difficult to ascertain how many individuals are involved in total, or find any sort of hometown or location they gather. This may be due to modified behavior through recent years post the Zone's official closure, or perhaps some specific event or change beyond my current awareness or comprehension. I believe, though I cannot confirm, that this group is not new and has been active for longer than I have been aware of this.marie-2-2.jpg The most concrete evidence I have acquired personally comes in the form of strange signals and SSTV encrypted images they transmit out over the Zone. It is these same images I have shared already captured through my own acquired equipment. I assume that either due to the advanced nature of the ARDA technology I use or the proximity to the signals, the improved image clarity may prove useful to someone. While the encryption itself is not necessarily sophisticated, especially given the technology laying around the Olympic Exclusion Zone, I can't help but wonder why? What possible reason could they have? ARDA has long since departed. This also raises questions about their communication style in previous years but perhaps those answers will appear in time.
From the transmissions I have decoded, it is clear they have been present and active for some time. I have, after much investigation, found a correlation between some of the symbols seen in the signals, and symbols I have found out painted on various surfaces while navigating the instability on my own. I have inquired with some remaining locals who have also confirmed similar sightings with a note of their recent increase in frequency. Unfortunately deciphering what each symbol means has proven to be beyond my current abilities with the information I have gathered.
It is in times like this I am reminded of a saying once shared to me by a friend of mine. "While sometimes a mystery can be solved by looking at how each clue fits together and determining what each clue means, it is easy to forget to look at the existence of the clues themselves as a whole". Perhaps I should be asking "where and why did this group find or create theses symbols" first and worry about everything else later.
As someone who prides themselves on record keeping and documentation, I unfortunately must end my transmission with something that pains me greatly. Rumor and hearsay. While reaching out to various individuals I occasionally make contact with for supplies I have continued my inquires into this group and their symbols. It was during one of these correspondences that a warning was passed onto me by way of a local trader who I have met with many times. While she is eccentric, the story struck me as one to share with urgency.marie-2-3.jpg She described an acquaintance of hers who has been dealing with intrusions. It started with strange graffitti markings (which sounded similar to the aforementioned symbols) but has escalated quickly to evidence of breached property lines and ransacked miscellaneous supplies. The story was recent and pointed to the extreme escalation with each day bringing more and more interference. Why, the trader did not know, but I conclude that this group appears to be preparing to shift into the light, getting bolder and bolder. It seems any day now something is going to happen, but it is so hard to say what and there are many questions. If the trader's story is to believed, it is going to be something substantial.
Unfortunately I must end my message here. If the individual on the receiving end of my message is within the walls of the Zone, please stay safe. It is impossible to know the future but looking at the history of the peninsula, change has often brought danger.
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