Classic board game Cluedo gets a full relaunch and murder mystery boxes in 2023
Will they add a gamer lounge to the mansion?
One of the most venerable titles in board gaming gets a fresh coat of paint next year, as giant toy company Hasbro has announced that Cluedo (aka: Clue to my fellow Americans) will be completely relaunched and expanded in 2023.
Adam Biehl, Hasbro Gaming’s senior vice president and general manager, briefly detailed the plans during the company’s 2022 Investor Day presentations. While he remained tight-lipped on what all a “full relaunch” of the detective board game would entail, Biehl and the other presenters joked about bringing the erudite setting into more modern sensibilities.
Aligned with that stated goal is the additional announcement of three Cluedo murder mystery box games, self-contained analogue experiences that you can play alone or with a group. Unlike its competitive forebear, these boxes sound as though they’ll function similar to the Exit series - themed encounters revolving around a central mystery.
This new version of Cluedo is planned for some time in 2023 and will provide an initial trio of boxes for players to tackle. Biehl and the other presenters mentioned the true crime pop culture phenomenon during the reveal, so while it wasn’t confirmed by any official information, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a lot of inspiration drawn from the YouTube series, podcasts and other media driving the craze.
Hasbro will promote both the relaunch and the murder mystery boxes with “the first ever global game of Clue(do)”, which will be played over “social media” - Hasbro does not specify which platforms will be used. Again, details are slim, but the pitch sounds like a marketing-forward alternate reality game in which players will work on teams to gradually unlock clues and unravel the mystery over a set period of time.
ARGs have been used in marketing since the early 2000s and not always to the best effect. Standout games, including an award-winning promotional ARG for Nine Inch Nail’s Year Zero, use inscrutable codes, cyphers or cryptic images and rely on the collective ingenuity of users collaborating online to solve puzzles that would otherwise be near-impossible for individuals.
Hasbro leaders also mentioned that the Cluedo movie is still happening but did not offer any more information. The new stab at adapting the misadventures of Miss Scarlet, Col. Mustard, Professor Plum, and the rest of the crew has apparently stalled out in development but last announced Ryan Reynolds as leading the cast list. The television series, though? No word. It might be dead in the study with a letter opener in its gut.
If this has sparked your interest, head over to our other page to learn how to play the original Cluedo.