Hidden beat out other UK-based studios to secure the licensing from The Conan Doyle Estate to secure the world’s first official licensed Sherlock Holmes game set in the real world.

Development started in late 2025, and took about six months to complete, with the script drawing on lesser-known historical facts of Bugis’ past and written by its teams in Singapore and New Zealand as well as in consultation with The Conan Doyle Estate. Lim said that while AI was used for coding and brainstorming, the final product was created by the team.

After Singapore, Hidden plans to bring the game to London’s Baker Street, the famous home of  Sherlock Holmes in the novels. The London adventure will also be localised, said Lim.

TEXT-BASED ADVENTURES

A Study In Red isn’t the first real world immersive adventure in Singapore – besides Hidden’s Monopoly games, there have been a slew of other real-world interactive experiences, such as 2023’s Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience that saw players walking through a dark misty forest casting magic and drinking butterbeer, or the more recent Minecraft Experience located at Mandai Wildlife Reserve.