Howdy, Y'all!

Westward (code named Boötes) was the 20th incarnation of the Microsoft Intern Game.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Westward was the first entirely virtual instance of The Intern Game. This also allowed the event to be re-run for Microsoft FTEs as part of the Microsoft Giving Campaign. Read more about how this altered the planning and production of the event.

Act 1

During Act 1 of Westward participants learned of the amazing settlement of Blue Yonder, Washington and kicked off an opportunity for an amazing adventure. It is available online (https://aka.ms/westward) (requires Microsoft credentials). It can be solved independently or with friends. It consists of a series of online puzzles and an associated story that was published over the course of the summer! Act 1 was built to help train puzzle skills and introduce new concepts to help with participants be more successful in Act 2.

Act 2

Act 2 was an adventure that took place across two weekends, July 25 and August 1, 2020. Teams embarked on a Trail kicked off by the events of Act 1. Over the course of the two days the teams gathered together in their digital wagons and joined together to participate in a variety of puzzles and activities, their progress along the trail punctuated with stories of thrilling encounters.

Credits