Hidden Expedition
A hidden object game series spanning twenty-one installments since 2006.
Hidden Expedition is a series of single-player hidden object games. It was the second major hidden object brand launched by Big Fish Games. By 2021, twenty-four games in the series had been released.
The first five installments were developed internally by Big Fish Games, using its own game engine, with help from Flood Light Games on the fourth and fifth titles. Eipix Entertainment handled all subsequent games, and the three most recent were developed by Domini Games.
The series began with *Hidden Expedition: Titanic* (July 22, 2006, for Windows; iOS version August 1, 2009). Players are treasure hunters for the Hidden Expedition Adventure League (H.E.A.L.), tasked with retrieving a jeweled crown from the Titanic wreck. Oxygen limits the time spent in each hidden-object scene. The music was by Jean-Marc Lederman. According to game-sales-charts.com, the game reached the top ten on nearly every major casual game site and held the number-one spot on eleven of them.
*Hidden Expedition: Everest* (June 1, 2007) puts players in a race to the summit against three rival clubs, searching for a guide through locations in Asia (Nepal/Tibet) and Europe (Switzerland). Mountaineer Ed Viesturs appears as an assistant and helped develop the game alongside the National Geographic Society, which contributed video, photos, and stories. The iOS version (May 14, 2009) was Big Fish’s first iPhone game. Lead Artist Shawn Wood and Lead Programmer Tyson Chihaya rebuilt the game from scratch, converting it from Adobe Flash and Director to Objective-C. The smaller screen forced redesigns of buttons and hidden-object scenes, with many objects resized or replaced. The game quickly topped iPhone sales charts and earned a 4-out-of-5 user rating.
*Hidden Expedition: Amazon* (June 20, 2008, Windows; iOS versions April 2, 2010) sends players to find missing friends, including a biologist, in the Amazon. The iOS edition added OpenFeint awards; Big Fish VP Patrick Wylie said it “transforms the device into a modern board game.” A black-and-white Kindle version followed on July 28, 2011. Music and sound were by SomaTone Interactive Audio. Starbucks selected the iOS game as a free “Pick of the Week” on October 30, 2012.
*Hidden Expedition: Devil’s Triangle* (October 24, 2009) has the player, as leader of H.E.A.T., searching for a missing pilot in the Bermuda Triangle.
- First release
- July 22, 2006
- Latest release as of 2021
- 2021
- Total games
- 24
- Developer eras
- Big Fish Games (2006–2009), Big Fish Games with Flood Light Games (2009, 2011), Eipix Entertainment (2013–2019), Domini Games (latest three)
- Platforms
- Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Kindle
- Notable collaborations
- National Geographic Society, Smithsonian Institution
Lore & Background
The Hidden Expedition series began with Hidden Expedition: Titanic, released on July 22, 2006, for Windows. In that game, the player investigates the wreckage of the ocean liner Titanic as a treasure hunter for the Hidden Expedition Adventure League. The game's music was composed by Jean-Marc Lederman. It climbed into the top 10 on nearly every major casual game distribution site and held the #1 sales spot on 11 of those sites.
The second game, Hidden Expedition: Everest, was released on June 1, 2007. It featured a likeness of mountaineer Ed Viesturs and involved the National Geographic Society.
Reader's Guide
The Hidden Expedition series is significant as the second major hidden object game brand from Big Fish Games, following the success of its first game Hidden Expedition: Titanic, which dominated sales charts across multiple casual game distribution sites. The series pioneered Big Fish's entry into the mobile market with Hidden Expedition: Everest, the company's first iPhone game. That release required a complete technical overhaul from Flash/Director to Objective-C and demonstrated the viability of hidden object games on touchscreen devices, leading Big Fish to commit to further iOS releases. The series also established notable collaborations: with National Geographic Ventures for Everest, incorporating their archival content, and with the Smithsonian Institution for two games (Smithsonian Hope Diamond and Smithsonian Castle), marking the Smithsonian's first video game collaboration. The series transitioned through three developer eras—Big Fish internal studios, Eipix Entertainment, and Domini Games—and as of 2021 had produced twenty-one games, reflecting sustained demand in the casual gaming market.
Did You Know?
- Hidden Expedition: Everest was Big Fish Games' first game released on the iPhone.
- The iOS version of Hidden Expedition: Everest had to be rewritten in Objective-C because the PC version used Adobe Flash and Adobe Director.
- Hidden Expedition: Amazon added a split-screen multiplayer mode on iOS, which the vice president of Big Fish Games Studios said 'transforms the device into a modern board game'.
- Hidden Expedition: Smithsonian Hope Diamond was the first video game collaboration for the Smithsonian Institution.
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