Google has begun teasing I/O 2018 with multiple encrypted puzzles [Update: May 8-10]

Every year, Google likes to tease information about its yearly developer conference, typically held during the summer months. At midnight, Google’s Developers Twitter account sent out an encrypted message, providing the first hint as to when I/O 2018 will be held…

Update: After spending the entire night trying to figure out Google’s puzzles, we know that this year’s I/O developer conference will take place on May 8th through the 10th at the Shoreline Amphitheatre.

Clue #1: First, the image that can be seen above and in the Google Developers’ tweet can be translated from binary and points to google.com/io. From there, you’re taken to a Google Maps page with a splash screen offering to take you behind the scenes of I/O 2018.

Clue #2: Once you begin walking around in the street view mode of Google Maps, you can walk into one of the company’s office buildings. If you explore throughout the room, an identification icon will appear over different items. So far, we have been able to spot these hovering over a calendar showing August 5 (which is National Sister Day), a plate of sushi, and the Sister Carrie book.

If you try to get through the door on the other end, you are supposed to enter a city name that Google seeks. Based on all of the “sister” clues, we discovered that the city that the game was looking for was ‘Iwata‘, Mountain View’s sister city.

Clue #3: The next location is a meeting room. There are even more items in this room that are meant to act as hints, all of which can be seen below. To exit the room, you must answer the question: “What three numbers do we seek?”

Looking around the room, it appears that everything is upside down.

The answer is ‘01 60 80‘!

Clue #4: This one is easy. Just walk up to the door and click on the lock icon. The question tells you to just type in ‘Yam‘ and you will be moved onto the next step.

Clue #5: The next lock asks you to provide the name Google seeks. Thanks to the folks on the Discord, we know the answer is ‘Aeschylus‘. Looks like his photo was placed right next to the door.

Clue #6: With this room, start by finding the light switch on the right wall. After the room goes dark, walk to the other end to launch the ‘Coin Decoderton 1080’. The correct combination is the image of the sisters, then the upside down icon, the mirror, and lastly the sad face.

Now all you have to do is click forward multiple times and enter into the Shoreline Amphitheatre to learn that this year’s developer conference will take place on May 8 through 10.

If you want to help solve these puzzles, there’s an active Discord that you can join here with multiple users trying to decrypt these clues.

Hot yam! #io18 is happening on May 8-10 @ Shoreline Amphitheatre. https://t.co/bfJPEZhZjK

— Justin Duino (@jaduino) January 24, 2018

Clue #1

Plans are coming along for #io18… pic.twitter.com/48VpqvVqWU

— Google for Developers (@googledevs) January 24, 2018

Clue #2

Clue #3

Clue #6