According to KitGuru.net, the Epic Games Store is teasing a “mystery game” that will be given away for free starting next Thursday, December 11th, at 4 PM. This breaks from their typical pattern of announcing the next week’s free titles in advance, a special move they often make near the end of the year. The only potential clue is the promotional image, which features purple and green wrapping paper adorned with Christmas icons and a PC mouse. Until then, users have until that exact December 11th deadline to claim this week’s free titles: The Darkside Detective, a pixel-art adventure game available on mobile and PC, and Jackbox Party Pack 4, a collection of party mini-games. The reveal is timed to coincide with the upcoming Game Awards, suggesting Epic wants to make a splash.
Epic’s Holiday Hype Play
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just about giving away a free game. It’s a classic marketing power move. By shrouding the title in mystery, Epic guarantees that everyone—news sites, streamers, gamers—will be talking about the Epic Games Store on December 11th. That date is key. It’s right in the wheelhouse of The Game Awards, which is basically the Super Bowl for game reveals and trailers. So Epic is essentially buying a prime spot in the industry’s biggest conversation of the year. Instead of just being another launcher with a freebie, they’re positioning themselves as part of the main event. Pretty clever, right?
The Guessing Game Begins
Now, the fun part: speculation. That purple and green color scheme in the teaser image has the internet‘s detective corps working overtime. Some are pointing to iconic franchises with those colors. Could it be something related to Halo? The Joker from Batman? Maybe even a *Borderlands* title? The inclusion of a PC mouse is interesting—it might hint at a game that’s particularly mouse-driven, like a strategy title or a point-and-click adventure. But let’s be real, it could also just be generic holiday clip art. Epic knows the guessing game itself generates more buzz than an early announcement ever would. They’re playing us, and we’re happily going along with it.
The Steady Drumbeat of Free
And while we wait for the big mystery, Epic’s regular weekly giveaways continue to do their job. This week’s combo of The Darkside Detective and Jackbox Party Pack 4 is perfectly tailored for the holidays. One is a solo, comedic adventure; the other is a group party staple. It’s a reminder that Epic’s strategy isn’t just about the occasional blockbuster free game. It’s about the consistent, weekly habit of checking the store. Every time you claim a free game, even a small one, you’re reinforcing the behavior of opening their client. That’s how you build a user base that sticks around to actually buy things. The mystery game is the fireworks show, but these weekly offers are the steady drumbeat that keeps people marching to Epic’s tune.
A Long Game Against Steam
Look, let’s not kid ourselves. In the grand war for PC gaming storefront dominance, Steam is still the entrenched empire. Epic can’t win on library size or community features alone. So their weapon of choice has been aggressive spending on exclusives and, more sustainably, this relentless campaign of free games. It’s a customer acquisition cost they’re willing to bear. Every mystery game, especially a big one, is another trojan horse into your game library. Once you have a couple dozen “free” games in your Epic account, the platform starts to feel more legitimate, more *yours*. You’re more likely to consider buying a new release there if you’re already logging in regularly. It’s a long, expensive game, but for Epic and its deep-pocketed parent company, it seems to be the only play that makes a dent. The question is, how long can they keep it up before they need us to start buying more?
