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Hey Sleuths!

I've got some pretty crappy news to share: We're going to have to wind down Shades of Mystery by the end of the year. This is something I've really wanted to avoid, but I don't have a realistic alternative. With the demise of Flash, the game isn't going to continue to function in 2021 unless you use a very old browser.

- We won't be selling any new subscriptions to Shades of Mystery
- We'll fully refund the remaining time on any active subscriptions (your sub will still be active)
- The game will probably be coming down at (or slightly after) New Years
- As a thank you to everybody, in a week or so, we'll grant full subscriber rights to everybody for the remainder of the game's life.

The writing has been on the wall for several years. Adobe is retiring Flash https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html because it isn't standards compliant. I've had aspirations to migrate the front end to a modern javascript interface, but it would require a huge time commitment.

This sucks. I haven't updated the game much for years, but the project represents a ton of my time and energy along with major contributions by Sunny, YetiFace, Secret Squirrel and a bunch of other friends and players who were kind enough to pitch in. It's a lot to let go of, but it's important to recognize when the road you're on comes to an end.

Please don't give up on this project. If you put it on kickstarter maybe you could raise enough to get it converted to HTML5 - I would definitely donate.

https://pixelplex.io/blog/tools-to-convert-flash-to-html5/

This saddens me. I found this game a few months back and was about to subscribe, but I had some issues with paypal and I dropped the idea. Then, a few bugs turned me off from the game and decided to wait until a fix appeared. I really loved the concept and truly enjoyed playing it.
I wish I found this sooner and had more time to explore it.
Thanks for all the effort.

Oh no!!! Can we help put it on a different platform? I really enjoy this game

I spent a lot of time on this site when I was younger (Apparently the math says I've been playing since I was in elementary school) and I still do love playing on it--there aren't any other games I know like it.

Sure, there were a couple problems but those were minor enough I could overlook them because the game was fun. It's got its own unique style, and these weird mishmashed faces and hilariously convoluted suspect relationships were a part of the charm.

There's definitely so much more potential to this game, and if it ever does somehow come back, I'd love to keep playing. I saw a comment about kickstarter...maybe going a route a bit like StoryNexus's Fallen London is an option?

I know that there was a company tied to this game, although I'm not sure if they're still active.

But in any case, I hope you guys keep making games, and hope we'll see you around! Thank you.

Thank you so much for such a fantastic game! I really enjoyed it for several years and just wanted to say thanks to everyone!

I have send a message to admin and Sunny, hoping they will read the posts about saving the game... I have also left a message on facebook page Sleuth...
There are several suggestions made.. hopefully they will read it and contact people who made the suggestions... :)

That I still remember my account details after all this time must be, I assume, a testament to Sleuth's quality—or, at least, it's indicative of how much I played Sleuth when young. My account is apparently 4,453 days old (12.2 years)—so, I began playing with this detective on March 3, 2009.

Of course, that I remember Sleuth at all...! There were quite a few times over the past recent years wherein I thought I ought to return to the game (and I did make at least one attempt, though I couldn't get my account details right at that time). Unfortunately, when the death knell of Flash sounded, it didn't occur to me that Sleuth was a Flash-dependent game...

I agree with @sheenu re: "Sleuth as a purchasable game on Steam" as a possibility worth considering—if it <i>is</i> possible, that is. I'm not sure how many people played Sleuth at its peak, but I'm sure a nostalgia factor would compel many to buy it. Or, in the case where a downloadable 1:1 version of Sleuth as we knew it isn't feasible, a modified, even updated, version of it.

Of course, given the time commitment this would take per your statement, and the monetary uncertainty of the undertaking, keeping the case of Sleuth 'closed' as it were is entirely understandable and your prerogative. At any rate, I didn't begin writing this with intentions of rallying for game conversion—though I suppose it comes off that way so far...

Really, I just want to express gratitude. Thank you for Sleuth; I was a tween when I first got into the game, back in 2009, and I do remember it with fondness. There were many times I came home from school and jumped right back into some case I was keen to solve. I continued playing it into high school, I'm sure; it's been nothing but impressive, how long Sleuth has been online for. Admirable, I should say.

So—I haven't forgotten about Sleuth, 12.2 years on. I wanted you to know. You folks certainly got something right with it. Good work, good times, good fun.

Best of luck with whatever happens going forward.

Ive been playing this game for many years and I truly crushed that is coming to an end. Thank you for the years of enjoyment!!!

:(

NO DONT i have a mac book and the flash still works on here but nooooooo