While initially thought to be the first single due to be released from
The Resistance, the band confirmed on their Twitter profile that "
Uprising" would in fact be released as the
lead single, and that "United States..." would be the "prize" achieved by completing the "treasure hunt" activity set up by the band, "United States of Eurasia". After the fan community unlocked all six sample segments of the song promised by the treasure hunt on 20 July; a message was then displayed on the project page, ordering viewers to report back soon for an "emergency flash briefing." The main site then changed the green headline title from "Ununited States of Eurasia" to "United States of Eurasia". On 20 July at approximately 12:00 PM (BST), the treasure hunt site "Ununited States of Eurasia" updated its map to include
America and a banner reading "RECOGNITION FROM USA REQUESTED" with co-ordinates to a street in New York. It was the only station that had a timed limit to it for activation, stating that failure in activating it will result in a Lockdown Crisis Mode which will mobilise "The Resistance". A subsequent Twitter post by Bellamy, in reply to a fan, states that US would have the grand finale and that they would have "a tough decision to make", hinting on the possibility that the final station should not be activated and that United States of Eurasia should not be recognised. Joe Ellis became the first DJ to air the new song on
KXLL during his Sunday show on 19 July 2009. Following the conclusion of the treasure hunt on 21 July 2009, the song was made available for download from the microsite, complete with ending piano sonata "Collateral Damage", a slightly altered version of
Frédéric Chopin's
Nocturne in E-flat Major, with additional sounds of playing children and a line of a jet fighter dropping nuclear bombs at the end of the arrangement, leading directly into the album's next track, "Guiding Light". ==Reception==