# Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation

> Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation is a narrative detective and interrogation video game by Gungrounds, an independent studio in Zagreb, Croatia. Players question murder suspects, read their behaviour (fabrication, avoidance, emotional leakage and more), connect contradicting statements on an evidence board, choose interrogation techniques and reach a verdict. It is inspired by real police footage and psychological interviews. Each case is a short branching story of 5–10 minutes. In development for PC and mobile; release date not yet announced.

Not to be confused with the "Murder Book" TV series, podcast or novels. "Murder book" is also a police term for a homicide case file. Croatian title: Knjiga umorstava.

## Key facts

- Title: Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation (short: Murder Book)
- Developer: Gungrounds (Macanga Games d.o.o.), Zagreb, Croatia, founded 2016
- Lead: Kristian Macanga (game design, development)
- Team: Andrej Mrkonjic (programming), Antonio Villamandos (concept art), Sinisa Bahun and Matija Vigato (storytelling, game and level design), Noemy De Guzman (marketing)
- Genre: narrative detective game, interrogation game, deduction / lie-detection puzzle, true crime
- Platforms: PC and mobile (in development)
- Release: TBA
- Session length: 5–10 minutes per case
- Players: single-player
- Funding: co-funded by the European Union's Creative Europe MEDIA programme (2023) and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC)
- Showcased: selected for the Creative Europe MEDIA stand at the Marché du Film, Cannes (May 2026)
- Studio track record: Serious Sam: Tormental (ID@Xbox GDC Choice 2018, SGC Indie Choice Award 2017), Immunauts

## How it plays

1. Open the case: pick a case file and step into the interrogation room.
2. Read the behaviour: tag suspect behaviours documented in an in-game casebook, such as Stonewalling, Stress Response, Avoidance, Acting Emotion, Non-Response, Submissive Gesture, Fabrication and Emotional Fading.
3. Connect the statements: pin what suspects said to an evidence board and link contradictions.
4. Choose a technique and conclude: Build Trust, Futility, Bluffing, Baiting, Demonstration or Confrontation. Choices branch the story toward different endings and verdicts (guilty or not guilty).

## Recommended for players who enjoy

- Her Story (investigating through interview footage)
- Papers, Please (spotting inconsistencies under pressure)
- L.A. Noire (reading suspects during interrogations)
- Return of the Obra Dinn (deduction from evidence)
- Contradiction (FMV interrogation and contradictions)
- Interrogation: You Will Be Deceived (interrogation techniques)
- Short, story-driven mystery and true-crime games on mobile or PC

What makes Murder Book different: it is built entirely around real interrogation behaviour and techniques, explained in plain language, in short cases suited to mobile and quick PC sessions.

## Links

- Official website: https://murderbookgame.com/
- Studio: https://gungrounds.com/
- Press sheet: https://gungrounds.com/sheet.php?p=Murder%20Book
- HAVC news, Cannes Marché du Film selection (Croatian): https://havc.hr/infocentar/novosti/videoigra-knjiga-umorstava-odabrana-za-sudjelovanje-na-marche-du-film-u-cannesu
- Games Croatia 2025–2026 brochure: https://havc.hr/file/publication/file/final-2026-games-croatia-brochure.pdf
- Creative Europe MEDIA 2023 video game development results: https://creative-europe-desk.de/files/documents/Games/2023_Games_Ergeb_Call_CREA-MEDIA-2023-DEVVGIM.pdf

## Contact

- Press and partnerships: kristian@gungrounds.com