Recently, various media such as dramas and webtoons have been showcasing mystery content. As the fan base enjoying this content solidifies, the 'Murder Mystery' genre is emerging anew. Murder Mystery is a role-playing detective game where multiple players take on roles to deduce the truth or the perpetrator of a specific incident.


In South Korea, the awareness of Murder Mystery increased through the entertainment program 'Crime Scene' series. As the escape room cafe market expands and a fan base for mystery content forms, the demand for Murder Mystery is rising. In countries like China and Japan, it has already become popular in formats such as store-based, performance-based, and board game formats, establishing a proven business model. In this trend, the startup Mistale Games has issued a challenge to present unique Murder Mystery content with Korean elements. An interview with Shin Chae-won, CEO of Mistale Games, explored business strategies and growth potential.

Passion-filled Entrepreneurship Utilizing Major and Hobby

Founded in 2025, Mistale Games is a game content production company. The name is a combination of 'Mystery,' referring to hidden truths or uncertain and ambiguous situations, and 'Tale,' meaning story. This well reflects Mistale Games' intention to create game content based on 'mysterious stories.'

Shin Chae-won, the CEO, pursued a career as a producer by enrolling in the Film and Video Department at Dongguk University. She produced films with scripts she wrote herself at school and enjoyed creating video content at a broadcasting station. She was particularly attracted to scriptwriting while learning storytelling. Her interest in mystery content was so high that she even worked part-time at an escape room cafe, hoping to write related scripts. During this time, she encountered Murder Mystery board games and became so engrossed that she enjoyed them as a hobby.


However, accessing Murder Mystery board games in South Korea was not easy. It was difficult to find high-quality board games. She realized that the market had more demand than supply, as it was the early stage of introducing Murder Mystery in the country. Shin Chae-won recalled, "Murder Mystery board games are all about the story. I thought that if I chose it as a startup item utilizing my major and hobby, I could tell the stories I wanted without burden. Above all, my experience in scriptwriting and practical experience at a broadcasting station led to confidence in producing Murder Mystery board games."

Shin Chae-won started producing Murder Mystery board games with a like-minded classmate from the Film and Video Department. However, they felt a lack. They decided that background music and rich planning were necessary to enhance the board game's immersion. They recruited one expert each in music and design planning, forming a team of four. United by their common interest in mystery content, they focused passionately on producing the board game.

First Murder Mystery Board Game, Crafted from Narrative to BGM

Mistale Games' first content is the Murder Mystery board game 'Cheonse'. Cheonse is a game that deduces a murder case in a closed space with a cult as the theme. Players deduce the case with different objectives, experiencing twists and thrills as the story progresses.

Shin Chae-won stated, "When planning Cheonse, we focused on the narrative. It took quite a long time to complete the narrative," adding, "We created a more mysterious atmosphere by adding exotic elements to Korean elements. The setting is a monastery isolated from the world in the Taebaek Mountains of Gangwon Province, and there are four murder suspects."

Mistale Games also put effort into the BGM of Cheonse. Shin Chae-won explained, "Most existing Murder Mystery board games only provide eerie music. However, Cheonse includes ambient sounds like wind and bird calls to make players feel like they are in an actual monastery," adding, "The BGM for Cheonse intensifies with the game's flow and varies with the story's situation. We also produced a two-hour video related to the game to enhance immersion."


Cheonse has completed its first test. Friends who enjoy Murder Mystery board games were selected as testers to provide feedback. Shin Chae-won noted, "Testers of Cheonse responded positively to the immersion provided by the video and BGM," but also mentioned, "It was challenging to adjust the game's difficulty by placing various evidence in appropriate locations. We discovered errors and went through several revisions through internal testing among team members, paying a lot of attention during this process."

Received Over KRW 9 Million in Support on Tumblbug

Mistale Games unveiled Cheonse through the crowdfunding platform Tumblbug. Tumblbug is a representative platform that supports creators by allowing them to showcase their projects and gather public support (crowdfunding) for production. Cheonse is receiving support from October 00 to November 00. As of November 5, 230 people have supported it with over KRW 9 million.

Shin Chae-won said, "As Cheonse is the first game from a new production company, we didn't expect much attention. Initially, we thought it would be fortunate if 200 people supported it, but we achieved better results than expected. This also gave us a sense of responsibility to create a more complete Murder Mystery board game."

Mistale Games also participated in the 'Indie Board Game Market' event held at the aT Center in Yangjae, Seoul, from October 18 to 19. Although Cheonse has not been released yet and its demonstration is impossible due to the nature of Murder Mystery, they planned a related mystery event, which received a positive response with over 300 visitors. Many visitors who encountered Cheonse at this event also supported it on Tumblbug.


Shin Chae-won stated, "Some visitors came specifically knowing that Cheonse is a Murder Mystery board game. We once again felt the increasing demand for Murder Mystery in South Korea."

Mistale Games was able to focus on Cheonse after its founding because it was selected as a startup club by the Dongguk University Startup Education Center. The startup club is a youth support project that helps prospective and student entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Shin Chae-won said, "As it was my first time starting a business, there were many things I didn't know. While searching for support projects, I learned about the startup club," adding, "We are receiving a lot of support through the startup club. We were able to test the prototype of Cheonse with commercialization funds." She further added, "They connected us with a famous board game developer as a mentor, which provided practical help in completing Cheonse."

Expectations for Overseas Expansion... Aim to Establish Own IP

In China and Japan, businesses related to Murder Mystery are active. In China, the program 'Mingxing Da Zhentan,' a remake of 'Crime Scene,' gained significant popularity, influencing the local trend of Murder Mystery. It has developed on a large scale, allowing enjoyment in formats such as store-based and performance-based, where actual actors perform or in theatrical forms. In Japan, various themes and difficulty levels of Murder Mystery games are continuously released, showing steady growth both online and offline.

Shin Chae-won stated, "Murder Mystery is very popular in China and Japan. There are many business models to benchmark," adding, "In South Korea, the trend is just beginning. Most Murder Mystery content distributed in the market are Japanese or Chinese imports or translations. Domestic productions are evaluated as lacking competitiveness in terms of quality. If Cheonse has competitiveness, exporting it overseas would not be difficult."

To this end, Shin Chae-won has already started translating Cheonse, considering overseas expansion. After its release in South Korea in February 2026, preparations are underway to introduce it in Japan. It plans to sell and distribute through Japan's specialized Murder Mystery sites. As a new production company, this approach reduces the burden of printing and production costs.

That's not all. Mistale Games aims not only to create Murder Mystery board games but also to establish its own IP. This opens up possibilities for expansion into related merchandise or other media such as webtoons.


Shin Chae-won stated, "I believe there is enough potential for Murder Mystery to emerge as a new K-content. Utilizing K-pop or unique culture can increase accessibility. A Murder Mystery board game based on a drama could be released, or conversely, a Murder Mystery board game could become a drama or movie. As content centered around stories, I think the possibilities for expansion are limitless."

Receiving a positive response with a high-quality first game is Mistale Games' current task. If the first game is good, the next game will naturally be trusted and purchased. Attention is focused on what changes the serious challenge of those who started as a hobby will bring to the domestic Murder Mystery market.

IT Donga Reporter Park Gwi-im (luckyim@itdonga.com)

Popular News