Big Fish Games Blog

Big Fish Games is set to release the much anticipated Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove in early December, however the MCF team indicates there will be a special release in time for Thanksgiving, exclusively for Big Fish Game Club members.

On November 25th we will launch Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove - Collector's Edition. Why a Collector's Edition? The Mystery Case Files team built this special version of the game to be a one-of-a-kind MCF experience like nothing you have played before. The Collector's Edition launches several weeks early and includes secret bonus levels, additional puzzles, and other intriguing "extras".

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’Tis the season for Thanksgiving fun. Big Fish Games is proud to announce the latest holiday zone update for Faunasphere: Thanksgiving!

If you haven’t done so already take a moment to stop by Camp Gobblefield, our latest holiday zone! Participate in the Community Pie Baking Project, check out the latest autumn decorations for your Faunasphere and then hop over to the Mire Knoll Goal Station where you can learn about the "Crock" that can help you create Premium 6 smilie food!

As you make your way through the new zones, you’ll encounter wonderful Thanksgiving themed objects including pumpkins, hay bails, piping hot turkeys, falling leaves, and scarecrows! It’s all great fun you’re sure to enjoy and best of all, the update is free!

We’ve included some screenshots to give you a feel for what the update has in store (the Hoofer is hiding in one of the screenshots...can you find him?). Head over to Faunasphere today and enjoy the seasonal fun.

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With the release of the Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove sizzle reel, speculation about the game has accelerated dramatically. Every MCF game has had secrets buried within and MCF: Dire Grove is likely no different. The question is, how much was shared in the sizzle reel? Big Fish Games’ Studios is tight lipped regarding what is or is not in the video (they responded to my desperate pleas with slightly evil smiles).

That being the case, it is up to us to contemplate, speculate, conjecture, and guess at what the video is trying to tell us.

I’ve captured the most intriguing posts from the Dire Grove Speculation forum thread for you to take a look at. You’ll be interested to know I ran these by Studios and they looked a little nervous...keep the posts coming!

tunaontoast on Nov 10, 09 1:03 PM

OK, car in the video has a license plate which is...JXH2M6.....any suggestions ????

emmyjayne on Nov 10, 09 1:14 PM

When the grad student is making her presentation it looks like the slide shown on the screen is a grave yard (with Celtic cross headstones). So I wonder if they open a crypt gate that let’s something evil out where it’s been buried...

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We’re happy to welcome Donald E. Marshall of Legacy Interactive as today’s guest blogger. Donald is acting as the Senior Producer for Murder, She Wrote, an upcoming release on Big Fish Games.

When we saw the very first build we knew it was going to be an incredibly immersive and engaging Hidden Object game. Everyone has at least one memory of Jessica Fletcher and her sleuthing skills, and the game brings those memories right back. Legacy has done a great job of re-creating the sleepy town of Cabot Cove and all the characters in it.

Murder, She Wrote follows Jessica through five different murder mysteries around the world, on a journey the player will not soon forget. If you were a fan of the beloved TV show, you will most definitely enjoy this tribute to a classic. A big thanks to Donald for taking the time to share his experience with us. Take it away, Donald!

From TV to PC

My name is Donald E. Marshall and I am a Senior Producer at Legacy Interactive. I was lucky enough to be chosen as the producer for Murder, She Wrote, one of our upcoming games based on the classic TV series by the same name. Having grown up in a small, New England town, I know what it’s like to be part of a close knit community where people know and care for each other; to feel so safe you never need to lock your doors at night. Working on a game where the characters are constantly finding murder victim in gardens, behind white picket fences, and at the local ice cream social was an interesting perspective.

While most gamers raise their eyebrows when I mention Murder, She Wrote, it’s not hard to see how this property can be very successfully adapted into a casual game. The name is still highly recognizable among just about anyone over the age of thirty and is one of the most successful television murder mystery series of all time. Its stories are compact, memorable, well written, and thrilling without being horrifying. The heroine (world-renowned mystery novelist, Jessica Fletcher, played by Angela Lansbury) exudes wisdom and a clever style that helps her think through even the toughest dilemma.

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"In the Fall of 2009, four graduate students traveled to a small township near Blackpool, England. They were never heard from again."

With these words we begin the latest journey in the Mystery Case Files series. The release of Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove is just around the corner and Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to share the Dire Grove sizzle reel with you. Head over to the Official Mystery Case Files site to see the video and gain insight into where the Mystery Case Files series is going...or not...

The video is likely as much of a surprise to you as it was to us. Big Fish Games’ Studios is never one to be redundant. Each new installment to the Mystery Case Files game series has taken the series to a new level. This was especially true with Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst. It appears Studios intends to the same with Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove. The sizzle reel clearly hints at the Mystery Case Files series heading in an interesting new direction by incorporating actual video footage into the game. As always, specific game details are under wraps at this point so we’re not entirely sure, but we’ll try to dig for more information regarding where and how this footage is woven into game play.

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It isn't often we discuss game releases here in the blog, however, Pac-Man is no ordinary game release.

Originally released in Japan on May 10, 1980, Pac-Man was the brain child of Namco's Toru Iwatani. He, along with a meager team of six would create what would become one of the most influential video games in history. The early success of Pac-Man was enough to interest arcade-game manufacturer Midway who purchased the rights to release the game in the United States later that year. Pac-Man would go on to generate over a billion dollars in revenue in the first year alone.

What set Pac-Man apart from other video games, however, was its ability to reach across gender lines. At the time, video game arcades were popping up in nearly every downtown district. On the shoulders of Asteroids, Space Invaders, Galaxian, and Defender, arcades were thriving due to the a steady stream of male gamers eager to do battle in outer space.

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Big Fish Games Studios is proud to announce the release of Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove!

Details are slim at this point, but the first image from the game has taken over the front page of the Mystery Case Files Fan Page. We were able to get our hands on the raw image from Studios and have included it below.

We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available including more game art, trailers, release dates, etc.

Closed for the Season

We’re happy to report Nick Chase: A Detective Story is being featured on the iTunes App Store this week! Along with Shrek Kart and Rock Band, Nick Chase can be seen on the rotating header on the Apps home page. That’s good company to be in!

This marks the first release from Big Fish Games to be featured by the App Store and we’re extremely happy about it. We’re publishing games for the iPhone and iPod touch as quickly as we can with many great titles targeted for future release.

Nick Chase is currently rated as 4 Stars and we think it is more than deserving. Here is what people who’ve played the game are saying...

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Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to bring you the first images from the upcoming release of Hidden Expedition: Devil’s Triangle. Following your epic trip to The Amazon, pack your bags and get ready for a trip into one of the most mysterious regions in the world. It's your job to piece together the mysteries of this historically dangerous and largely uncharted area bounded by the Atlantic coast of Miami, San Juan, and Puerto Rico.

Many long hours went into the creation of the Devil’s Triangle. We were lucky enough to convince Moksha Marquardt, a member of the Hidden Expedition Team, to take a moment and share his thoughts on the development of the game.

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Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to announce the release of Nick Chase: A Detective Story for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Nick Chase, a hard-boiled Private Investigator, is in need of a job. Lucky for him, one arrives from a man known only as The Collector. Solve a variety of puzzles and find hidden clues to uncover the mystery behind the missing manuscript penned by Leonardo Di Vinci.

Explore gorgeous hand drawn scenes with a gritty film noir style in this one of a kind adventure game where everyone is a suspect!

The game plays like an interactive film noir graphic novel with amazingly beautiful hand drawn scenes. Use your own detective skills to find evidence in hidden object scenes and solve a wide variety of puzzles. You can also listen to your iPod library while playing with fully integrated OS3 music controls (although we recommend you don’t...the Nick Chase soundtrack is great for setting the mood).

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Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to announce the release of Nocturnal: Boston Nightfall for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Play as recently deceased Claire unraveling the secrets of her undead powers in this shadow-soaked Hidden Object game! Solve elaborate puzzles on your path to becoming a Nocturnal or Brethren. Quickly seek out mystical hidden objects to enhance your eldritch powers! The night is beckoning, will you answer?

Scour 30 different locations; from subway tunnels to graveyards as you seek to master brain teasing mini-games while traveling through fascinating comic book like scenes.

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Following on the heels of it’s release to our English speaking audience, Drawn: The Painted Tower has packed it’s bags and is heading overseas. Our French, German, Japanese, and Spanish speaking audiences can now delve into the immersive world that is Drawn.

All four localized versions of the game are scheduled for release today so be sure to head to our international sites and get the game!

Big Fish Games’ International Marketing Team is excited to bring you this exciting new story from Big Fish Games’ Studios. Each team wanted to weigh in to let you know their thoughts - in their own words!

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Join the Hidden Expedition Adventure Team on another exhilarating journey!

The newest edition of Hidden Expedition takes you to another famous locale: The Bermuda Triangle, otherwise known as Devil’s Triangle. Follow along as a world renowned explorer and piece together the mysteries of a historically dangerous and largely uncharted area. Discover clues hidden amongst the islands objects, unlock intriguing new worlds by solving unique puzzles and complete the voyage with your investigative skills. This fascinating journey provides you with a quirky look into one of the most mysterious places on Earth, and lets you uncover the possibilities of the unknown.

Watch the official teaser video for Hidden Expedition: Devil’s Triangle on the Big Fish Games YouTube channel.

Download Hidden Expedition: Devil’s Triangletoday!

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Have you ever heard of a sizzle reel?

In the gaming industry, a "sizzle reel" is something very similar to a game trailer. However, the sizzle reel typically shows a bit more of the actual game play and less marketing footage - although, I guess it’s all marketing footage when you think about it...

The studio who creates the sizzle reel wants to release footage that helps bridge the gap between what the game is about and how the game plays. In addition, interesting content such as story boards or concept art is often included to ’spice things up’ a bit. Sizzle reels, of course, are meant to help build buzz and get fans even more excited about the upcoming game release.

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Download Drawn: The Painted Tower

In what seems like Christmas in September for this blogger, Big Fish Games’ Studios has released the third pack of teaser content for Drawn: The Painted Tower in as many days.

Following on the heels of early sketches for Drawn: The Painted Tower and concept art for Drawn: The Painted Tower comes screenshots taken from actual game play.

The Painted Tower is the first installment in the Drawn story and promises to be an amazing gaming experience for Big Fish Games’ fans.

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Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to announce the release of Drawn: The Painted Tower on Friday, September 4th, 2009.

"We are extremely excited to release Drawn: The Painted Tower. In this first installment of the Drawn story, we have focused on creating a richly painted world with differentiated game play and fantastic puzzles."

"Drawn represents the collective efforts of a strong and dynamic development team and reflects the overall values and vision of Big Fish Games; To bring the best experiences possible to our customers. I think Drawn will surprise current customers and will appeal to new users as well. Play Drawn for an enticing and mind-bending visual treat." - Brian Thompson, Art Director

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With the release of Drawn: The Painted Tower just around the corner, we took the time to visit with Big Fish Games' Studios and see what insight we could share about the game.

Of course, if you're reading this, you've likely seen the Drawn: The Painted Tower trailer. If not, here is where you'll find the Official Drawn: The Painted Tower trailer video.

However, we were hoping to get our hands on something a bit more raw. Big Fish Games' Studios came through with a collection of early concept sketches for us to share.

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Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to announce the release of Atlantis Sky Patrol for the iPhone and iPod touch.

It’s your job to take flight and knock out more than 100 doomsday devices that have been planted around the world.

Travel to each destination on the map and eliminate chains of marbles by strategically matching colors in sets of three. Knock out cleverly placed stationary marbles to block additional chains from entering the track and destroy the device on each level. Easy to learn, but difficult to master, this unique new twist on the classic marble-popping game is nearly impossible to put down!

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Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to announce the release of Rainbow Web 2 for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Rainbow Web II welcomes you again to the wonderful world of the Rainbow Kingdom - now on your iPhone and iPod touch!

The Royal Palace is still in the grip of the Sorcerer Spider, who has weaved a web of spells, making the palace into the last citadel of evil in the magic kingdom. Match gems on webs, play a Hidden Object mini-game, and put together jigsaw puzzles to rid the land of evil.

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Big Fish Games' Studios is proud to announce the release of Hidden Expedition: Titanic for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Return to the wreck of the great steamship RMS Titanic as you travel back to 1942 and dive to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. As a member of the Hidden Expedition Adventure League (HEAL), you must explore the wreckage of this once-majestic ship and collect antique artifacts for the Titanic Museum.

Scour 17 locations on the ship over 14 dive missions as you search for cleverly-hidden clues that will lead you to the ultimate artifact: The Crown Jewels.

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On August 18, 2009, the Big Fish Game Community will become Big Sea Games. Bigger and better than ever, Big Sea Games will feature many of your favorite games, redone with larger graphics and new challenges as well as a host of other features. It is the same community you know and love, but with more features and more fun.

Big Sea Games will launch with many of your favorite Game Community titles including Unwell Mel, Fairway Solitaire and L.O.B.E. If you have played on the Big Fish Game Community, never fear - your tokens and game progress will be making the move to Big Sea Games.

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You can now play Big Fish Games anywhere on your iPhone or iPod touch. With four titles available and more to come, we’re very excited about this new gaming platform.

Currently, you’ll find the following games available from the iTunes store: Hidden Expedition: Everest, Cooking Quest, Hidden Mysteries: Buckingham Palace, and Virtual Villagers: A New Home.

While it is true that each of these games has already released for the PC and/or Mac, the gaming experience won’t be the same. The iPhone / iPod touch offer an entirely new way to play our games as they incorporate a touch screen interface, an accelerometer, dual viewing options, and mobility!

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Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to announce the release of Cooking Quest for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Congratulations, you’ve been awarded a coveted entry for the Chef’s Challenge contest in Foodville’s Restaurant Row!

Grease the cast-iron skillets as you gather ingredients to smoke the competition away. Manage your budget as you create multi-course gourmet meals in Foodville’s most elite restaurants. Can you stand the heat and become a Master Chef? Start at Chop City Steakhouse on Restaurant Row and find out in this time-management Cooking Quest.

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Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to announce the release of Hidden Mysteries: Buckingham Palace for the iPhone and iPod touch.

In Hidden Mysteries ™: Buckingham Palace you must peel back the curtains on one of the grandest buildings in the western world to look for treasure and uncover its deepest secrets.

Learn fun facts about several royal locations while you search for hidden objects and play ingenious mini-games. Follow romantic notes strewn across beautifully rendered scenes in this exciting sequel to Hidden Mysteries: Civil War. Learn fun royal facts as you play clever mini-games and use collected items to solve challenging puzzles.

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Announcing Faunasphere, a browser-based massively multiplayer social game where players adopt lovable and quirky creatures called Fauna and collaborate to create and explore shared virtual worlds.

Faunasphere has been in development for nearly two years and we are all excited to see it enter the last leg of development. Faunasphere was started by a company named Thinglefin who Big Fish Games acquired in 2008. Thinglefin was founded by Toby Ragaini, the designer of Asheron's Call and The Matrix Online, along with Jeremy Friesen, and Ryan O'Rourke.

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Today we're excited to announce the first game release from our new development team in Vancouver, BC! Unwell Mel, a popular game found only in our Game Community, is now available for download.

The new Vancouver team that is responsible for bringing you this new game - including artists and developers - allows us to more effectively expand our genre expertise without sacrificing our depth, quality and creativity.

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Prior to the release of Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, a press kit was created to help promote the game. This kit was delivered in an official Mystery Case Files satchel and included a version of the real case file featured in the game. This case file was created to give those who had the opportunity to read it a unique glimpse inside the return visit to Ravenhearst Manor.

The content of the case file helps lay the framework for the game as it briefly mentions the events leading up to the return to Ravenhearst Manor. Readers are taken back to Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst and Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate to help set the stage for the next chapter in the Mystery Case Files series.

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Big Fish Games’ Studios is proud to announce the release of Virtual Villagers: A New Home for the iPhone and iPod touch.

These poor villagers washed up on shore after surviving a horrific volcanic eruption. It’s up to you to guide them in learning how to survive in this real-time simulation game.

Islanders learn by doing, but you might have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t give up too easily. They need to become farmers, builders, scientists, parents and more in order to thrive on this new island.

You are the leader and the only one who can help the villagers build a proud new home. How will you lead your tribe?

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Big Fish Games Studios is proud to announce Diana Fortune in the Lost Temple of Gold, a new free online game available for Big Fish Games Community players!

Join archaeologist and adventurer Diana Fortune as she travels to the overgrown jungles near Tikal to explore a recently discovered Mayan temple. The floor of the temple is mostly quick sand, so you'll have to create paths for Diana using ornate stepping stone tiles. She can use these paths to travel around and collect valuable treasures to send to local museums!

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With so much buzz around mobile gaming on the Apple iPhone, it was only a matter of time before a Big Fish Games title made its way to this capable and exciting platform. Following on the heels of the successful development and release of Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir for the Nintendo DS, Hidden Expedition: Everest was targeted as the first release for the iPhone. Learn more about this great title and other Big Fish Games for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Shawn Wood (Lead Artist) and Tyson Chihaya (Lead Programmer) were tasked with transitioning Everest from the PC to the iPhone. A downloadable gaming hit, the Hidden Expedition series of games have established themselves as a well known brand among casual gamers. This resulted in the redesign of Hidden Expedition: Everest carrying with it certain expectations. "We wanted to make sure we kept the core integrity of the game intact, however, our #1 goal was to make sure it remained a good game. Also, this was our first game for the iPhone so we felt a bit of pressure to get it right," said Shawn Wood.

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While computer games are a fantastic form of entertainment, many people also enjoy the thinking challenges they pose and the feeling of accomplishment when you complete the game. However, sometimes completing the many puzzles found throughout computer games can be quite difficult.

Big Fish Games Customer Support gets lots of questions from fans regarding how to solve puzzles in games. Unfortunately, Customer Support isn't set up to handle such questions. Thus, we thought it would be fun to share with you ten tips for getting through some common puzzles found in Big Fish Games.

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The official release date for Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst was announced today in the form of a new teaser video.

The game is set for release to the general public on November 27th, 2008 with Big Fish Game Club members gaining access game on November 26th, 2008.

Check out the Official Big Fish Games YouTube channel for the clip, but be warned...you might want to keep the lights on...

Rose is back on Facebook and has released the second in what appears to be a series of Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst images. The door behind Emma's locket is being removed to reveal whatever lies beyond. We'll continue to keep our eyes on Rose's Facebook page and will post whatever we find here.

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In early September, members of the Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir development team were interviewed for the Developer's Voice series on the Nintendo Channel. Shawn Seavers and Adrian Woods of Big Fish Games were featured in the video as well as Sean Harrold and Elaine Eudy of Griptonite Games. The interview took the better part of the day and gives you a unique glimpse inside the art of game development.

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The latest teaser image from Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst surfaced over the weekend on Facebook. We grabbed it and are posting it here for you to see. As more images pop up around the internet, we'll be sure to post them here for your enjoyment.

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Today, Big Fish Games announced the next installment in the Mystery Case Files game franchise. Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst is currently in production and is scheduled to be released in time for the 2008 holiday season.

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