Criminal Case (video game)

Lore & Background

Pretty Simple was founded in 2010 by partners Bastien Cazenave and Corentin Raux and was backed by Idinvest Partners. The murder investigation theme was chosen first by the developers, who decided to make the game in the hidden object genre due to it making both business and personal sense. Just two months after the game launched, it had one million daily active users. As of mid-2013, Criminal Case attracted more than ten million monthly average users and became highly competitive with Candy Crush Saga. The developers explained in late 2013 that nearly 30 people worked each week to put out an investigation. On December 4, 2013, the game achieved over 100 million users. Five days later, it won the Facebook Game of the Year 2013 award. By that time, cases had been translated into nine languages, and the game was making an eight digit sum of revenue.

Reader's Guide

Criminal Case is significant as a landmark Facebook hidden object game that achieved massive popularity, competing with Candy Crush Saga and winning Facebook Game of the Year 2013. Its success led to seven additional titles in the franchise, including Criminal Case: Pacific Bay and Criminal Case: Save the World!, with Criminal Case: City of Romance being the final game. The game's graphic crime scenes and meaningful narratives were cited as reasons for its success. 2017 research found that 80% of active players were women aged 30 to 55. Critical reception was mixed: Common Sense Media deemed it 'polished' and 'interesting', while Kotaku described it as dark and gritty but criticized pay-to-play elements. The Australian Council on Children and the Media gave an amber rating due to gambling elements, and SaferKid cautioned about crude humor and profanity. The game's legacy includes its conversion from Adobe Flash to HTML5 in 2018 and its final case release on January 21, 2021.

Did You Know?

• Criminal Case was released on Facebook on November 15, 2012, with iOS and Android versions following in 2014 and 2015.
• The game won Facebook Game of the Year 2013 on December 9, 2013.
• As of mid-2013, Criminal Case had over ten million average monthly users and competed with Candy Crush Saga.
• The final case in the game was released on January 21, 2021.

Origins & Studio Background

Pretty Simple, a Paris-based indie studio, was established in 2010 by partners Bastien Cazenave and Corentin Raux. The company secured initial backing from Idinvest Partners, which contributed €300,000 in seed capital. After the game achieved early modest success, Idinvest followed up with an additional €2.5 million investment. The developers chose the murder investigation theme first, then decided the hidden object genre was the right vehicle because it made both business and personal sense. The game launched on Facebook on November 15, 2012, and within just two months of its release, it had already attracted one million daily active users. This rapid early traction validated the studio's creative and commercial instincts, setting the stage for what would become one of the most popular detective-themed games in the social gaming space.

Peak Popularity & Industry Recognition

By mid-2013, Criminal Case had grown to over ten million average monthly users, making it a serious competitor to Candy Crush Saga, which at the time held the top spot on Facebook with more than 46 million monthly users. The game captured roughly 40 percent of Facebook's user base. On December 4, 2013, the title crossed the 100 million user milestone, and just five days later it was crowned Facebook Game of the Year 2013. By that point, the cases had been translated into nine languages and the game was generating an eight-digit sum of revenue. The developers noted that nearly 30 people worked on producing a new investigation each week, with dedicated writers and artists driving the content pipeline. Research from United Worldwide in 2017 revealed that 80 percent of active players were women aged between 30 and 55, underscoring the game's particular cultural resonance.

Platform Expansion & Franchise Legacy

Criminal Case began its life exclusively on Facebook in November 2012, but its reach expanded steadily across platforms. An iOS version launched worldwide on August 28, 2014, followed by an Android release on April 15, 2015. In 2018, the Facebook version underwent a technical overhaul, being converted from Adobe Flash to HTML5 to keep pace with evolving web standards. The franchise also spawned seven additional titles, including Criminal Case: Pacific Bay, Save the World!, Mysteries of the Past, The Conspiracy, Travel in Time, Supernatural Investigations, and City of Romance, the latter serving as the final game in the series. The main title itself concluded its narrative arc with its final case released on January 21, 2021, bringing the core detective storyline to a close after nearly nine years of weekly content delivery.

Critical Reception & Player Experience

Critics offered a mixed but largely positive picture of Criminal Case. Common Sense Media called it polished and interesting, while AdWeek highlighted its strong storytelling and engaging gameplay. The Spectrum described the tone as oddly gruesome yet whimsical, capturing the game's unique blend of dark crime scenes and lighthearted hidden-object mechanics. Funky Games ranked it among the five best hidden object games available on Android or iOS. However, Kotaku noted the game felt dark and gritty but found the pay-to-play elements a barrier to progression. On the safety front, the Australian Council on Children and the Media assigned an amber rating due to gambling elements, and SaferKid cautioned parents about crude humor and profanity. Players earn coins, experience points that raise their level, rings, stickers for a collectible album, and can even raise police canines, creating a layered progression system that keeps the detective experience fresh.