Happy Broccoli Games’ Apple Crumble is now set for December 2, bringing a short, fully voiced Knives Out-inspired family mystery to Steam from the Duck Detective developers.
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Apple Crumble now has a December 2 Steam date after earlier December 3 listings
Apple Crumble, the next mystery game from Duck Detective developer Happy Broccoli Games, is now listed by GamingOnLinux as launching on December 2, 2026, one day earlier than the December 3 date reported in October by Gematsu, MonsterVine, Explosion Network, and Noisy Pixel.
That date shift is the clearest new development around the Apple Crumble release date. GamingOnLinux, writing on November 6, says the Knives Out-inspired mystery thriller is “set to arrive December 2nd” and notes that this is “a day earlier than originally expected.” The earlier round of coverage, including Gematsu and MonsterVine, cited a December 3 Steam launch based on Happy Broccoli Games’ announcement at the time.
For players tracking the Apple Crumble game through a wishlist or demo, the practical read is simple: the public reporting now points to a slightly earlier December launch, but the date has changed once already in coverage. If you are planning around the release, check the Steam page close to launch day for the final unlock timing in your region.
A birthday party mystery with knives under the table
Happy Broccoli Games is pitching Apple Crumble as a fully voiced interactive mystery thriller set during your grandmother’s 84th birthday party. The official description quoted by GamingOnLinux frames the premise with a deliberately suspicious denial: nobody is trying to murder Grandma, players should stop suspecting family members, and they should not worry about the strange man in the bedroom.
Gematsu’s version of the developer overview is less coy. It says one of the guests is “out to knife your Nan,” and the player must explore their childhood home, reconnect with a dysfunctional family, and decide who can be trusted before tea. The cast named in that overview includes Grandma, a stressed-out mother, an uncle in a midlife crisis, the strange man in the player’s bedroom, and the player character.
The Knives Out comparison matters because it tells readers to expect an ensemble mystery built around social friction, misdirection, and a contained setting. Happy Broccoli Games is also citing Mouthwashing as an inspiration, according to GamingOnLinux, MonsterVine, Explosion Network, and Noisy Pixel, which suggests a sharper thriller edge than the studio’s Duck Detective premise might lead some players to expect. That tonal range, from pudding jokes to a possible family murder plot, is the hook.
The Duck Detective connection sets expectations, but Apple Crumble is taking a darker route
Happy Broccoli Games is best known in the source material as the studio behind the Duck Detective series. MonsterVine’s related coverage identifies Duck Detective: The Secret Salami as a “cozy indie hit” and describes Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping as a standalone sequel. This is the context Apple Crumble is stepping out of: compact detective games with a strong comic identity and approachable mystery structure.
Apple Crumble keeps the studio’s interest in deduction, voice performance, and small-scope storytelling, but the premise is more threatening. Instead of a duck sleuth sorting through a quirky case, the player is at a family party where a relative, or possibly someone even stranger, may be preparing to kill Grandma.
That shift is worth noting because expectations around the Duck Detective developers could cut two ways. Players who came for charm may still find it in the absurd setup and the cast descriptions. Players looking for a harsher indie mystery thriller have firmer signals too, since multiple outlets cite the Mouthwashing and Knives Out inspirations, while Noisy Pixel specifically describes the game as a psychological mystery thriller and a first-person walking simulator.
A short, voiced walking-sim mystery is the intended shape
Several sources agree that Apple Crumble is designed as a compact experience. Gematsu’s developer overview lists it as a “60 to 90 minute long mystery thriller walking simulator,” and Noisy Pixel says Happy Broccoli Games estimates a complete playthrough at approximately 60 to 90 minutes. GamingOnLinux says it was told the game is “quite short” and completable in an afternoon. Explosion Network adds that the demo offers about 20 to 30 minutes of gameplay.
That tells players a lot about the intended rhythm. Apple Crumble is being positioned as a one-sitting mystery rather than a sprawling detective board with hours of optional casework. The walking-sim label also points toward exploration and narrative discovery as the main structure, with the player moving through the childhood home, meeting suspects, and piecing together motives from conversations and environmental detail.
For a mystery, shorter length can be a strength if the writing is tight. A 60 to 90 minute runtime gives Happy Broccoli Games less room for padding, but also less room to recover if the reveal does not land. The studio’s challenge is precision: every family member, strange interruption, and voiced exchange has to do real work.
Steam demo, platform picture, and what is still unannounced
Apple Crumble is coming to PC via Steam, according to Gematsu, Explosion Network, and Noisy Pixel. MonsterVine reports that the fully voiced thriller is coming to Windows, Mac, and Linux, and GamingOnLinux tags the game under Native Linux and Steam. A demo is available now on Steam, according to MonsterVine, Explosion Network, and Noisy Pixel.
There are still practical gaps in the public information provided by the available sources. No price is listed in the source material. There is no console release information in the supplied reporting. Steam Deck compatibility is not discussed in the sources. Regional unlock times are also not specified.
Because the game is short and has a demo, the safest buyer guidance is to try the Steam demo before launch if the premise interests you but the tonal shift from Duck Detective gives you pause. A 20 to 30 minute sample, as reported by Explosion Network, should be enough to test whether the voice direction, movement pace, and family-thriller mood match what you want from a December evening mystery.
A small mystery with a clear sales pitch and one date to recheck
The Apple Crumble game has a clean pitch: a fully voiced, short-form, Knives Out-inspired mystery from the Duck Detective developers, set at Grandma’s 84th birthday party, with a suspect list that includes the family and the player. The newly reported December 2 date gives it a slightly earlier landing than the December 3 date attached to the October announcement cycle.
The tension is in the pivot. Happy Broccoli Games is carrying recognition from Duck Detective into a premise that looks less cozy, more claustrophobic, and more openly dangerous. If the team can combine its knack for compact mystery structure with a sharper thriller tone, Apple Crumble could be well suited to players who prefer a complete story in one sitting.
For now, the confirmed reader takeaways are narrow but useful: Apple Crumble is planned for Steam in early December 2026, the latest reporting says December 2, a demo is available, and the expected runtime is about 60 to 90 minutes. The unresolved items are price, final platform details beyond the PC and reported Windows, Mac, and Linux release, and whether the date change is reflected consistently everywhere by launch.