It's easy to get lost in a great mystery story as you imagine yourself in the world the storyteller has created, and think about how you might solve the mystery within it. If you've ever read an Agatha Christie novel, you probably know the feeling.
Now, a Baltimore entertainment company is giving people a chance to dive into an Agatha Christie mystery and fulfill their detective fantasies. Hunt A Killer has struck a partnership deal with Agatha Christie Limited, which manages the literary and media rights to the renowned author's works, to create a new interactive mystery game based on a 1923 short story by Christie.
"No name in mysteries carries more weight or intrigue than the timeless Agatha Christie. It's an exciting challenge to live up to the expectations of the name," Ryan Hogan, CEO and co-founder of Hunt A Killer, said in a statement.
The deal comes during a period of "hyper growth" for Hunt A Killer, which last year earned the company a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest-growing businesses based on three-year revenue growth. It was the top-ranking company in Maryland on the 2020 list and ranked No. 6 overall, with three-year revenue growth of 20,484% between 2016 and 2019. The company raked in about $30 million in revenue in 2019, which it grew to over $50 million in 2020, and it is set to see an even higher revenue intake this year, a spokesperson said. The firm has also reached 107 employees and is continuing to hire.
The high-profile partnership is the latest for Hunt A Killer, which has created over 100 gaming experiences and shipped more than 3.7 million of its game boxes since its founding in 2016.
The new game, titled "The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge", will allow players to take on the role of a detective to solve the murder of a philanthropic millionaire named Harrington Pace through various puzzles and activities. It will be released as both an all-in-one retail box available on Amazon.com and as a Collectors' Edition, which will include special additional features and will be available through Hunt A Killer's website. Pre-sale date for both versions of the game will launch Oct. 18.
Keith Tralins, Hunt A Killer's chief product officer, said getting the chance to "play in the world of one of our idols" was a huge and meaningful opportunity for Hunt A Killer's growing team. He added that the company's design and writing staff worked closely with Agatha Christie Limited to develop the new game, and he hopes they will be able to expand on the partnership and create additional gaming products based on Christie's stories in the future.
James Prichard, chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited, stated that Hunt A Killer has garnered a reputation "for creating fantastic quality mystery experiences," and he is excited to give fans of Christie's, who is his great-grandmother, the chance to immerse themselves in one of her stories.
The deal is one of a handful of partnerships Hunt A Killer has struck involving big names in the mystery entertainment space. The company has also previously developed game products based on Nancy Drew and Blair Witch storylines. It has also inked a licensing deal with publisher Scholastic Corp. to produce a new young adult book that is set to be released in spring 2022.
Tralins said there are more deals to come soon, though he didn't disclose details.
