Trivia Murder Party 3 - Dev Diary #1
Are you overworked? Could you use a vacation? Longing for some outdoor enrichment where you may or may not become mortally injured? Great news! [REDACTED] is expanding his hospitality business and opening a summer camp in a new, stand-alone Trivia Murder Party 3 coming to early access in late 2025!
Jackbox has been hard at work on Trivia Murder Party 3 because we wanted to give our fans more of the world they know and love. The Trivia Murder Party franchise has always been full of rich lore and a beloved murdering host who threatened us with bodily harm if we didn’t make another game for him to star in. We had no choice but to give the people what they want!
By making Trivia Murder Party 3 a stand-alone title, our devs get the opportunity to give the franchise our full attention while working in Unreal Engine 5, a new tool for us. The Jackbox Party Pack format is brilliant for variety, but it limits how much we can innovate our tech and how deeply we can explore any single game. A standalone title lets us go all-in, creating a deeper and richer experience, while being able to try new things like online matchmaking. And we can continue to support Trivia Murder Party 3 with future content updates, like new trivia questions and minigames. He’s been saying it for years, but [REDACTED] really does deserve our undivided attention….
We sat down with a handful of devs from the Trivia Murder Party team to share a behind-the-scenes look at this upcoming title and what it takes to make a new game at Jackbox.
Trivia Murder Party 3 has been announced to the world! What has development of the game been like up until this point, and how does it feel to see fans reacting to the news?
It’s been exciting to see fans reacting to the news! Although it’s confusing as to why so many people are happy about the return of [REDACTED]. That guy is a literal nightmare to work with. - Spencer Ham, Senior Creative Director
Development has been a blast. We’ve seen your whispers, your requests, your “give us TMP3” posts, and it’s been so rewarding to finally answer that call. Seeing fans light up at the announcement makes all those months of ideation and iteration feel worth it. Wins on wins on wins! - Alex Weick, Senior Producer
In what ways is development of Trivia Murder Party 3 similar to development during the first two installments? In what ways has it been different?
There’s a lot to live up to, and we’re dedicated to keeping the spirit of TMP intact throughout development while introducing meaningful ways to play, connect, and evolve the experience without losing what made it special. We’re adding a ton of fresh new content and also diving back into some fan-favorite mini-games from the previous installments. Reimagining them through the lens of summer camp, riffing on what fans already love, and finding ways to add *s’more* chaos has been particularly fun. - Sydney Hunt, Game Product Manager
The Unreal Eengine gives us a chance to make the game feel more cinematic and alive than ever before. There’s been a lot of excitement to try ideas that the team wanted to do in previous versions, but just didn’t have the technology to make it happen. - Joe France, Senior Game Designer
Why are we revisiting the Trivia Murder Party franchise now, and as a standalone game with online multiplayer?
Trivia Murder Party has always been a standout, blending trivia, social mini-games, and a campy horror vibe that’s uniquely Jackbox. Fans have flooded our feeds with love for the game, begging for more questions, new mini-games, and a deeper dive into its twisted world and that has inspired us to take a daring leap forward. Revisiting Trivia Murder Party as a standalone game gives us an opportunity to further explore this rich world and give the franchise the spotlight it deserves. More importantly, Trivia Murder Party 3 isn’t just a standalone sequel title, it’s a stage for us to push boundaries and innovate for this franchise and Jackbox Games as a whole. - Mike Zuba, Executive Producer
It can take a lot of work for players to do all the scheduling needed with friends to host a Jackbox party. While still supporting [the traditional way to play Jackbox], we did want to make it easier for players to enjoy the game they purchased with fewer hoops to jump through. - Joe France, Senior Game Designer
We’ve always focused on local play, but we kept hearing from players who wanted a smoother way to play remotely (whether with friends or strangers) without the need for complex coordination or relying on workarounds. Online multiplayer in TMP3 is our way of making the experience more accessible, spontaneous, and frictionless for everyone. - Sydney Hunt, Game Product Manager
Is there a moment from a prior meeting or playtest that stands out to you as especially exciting or pivotal? How did it influence the direction that the team is going in?
This past fall we had a big onsite meeting that resulted in a lot of exciting brainstorm sessions. It not only grew our backlog of ideas, but it allowed us to align on the things important to the game and some areas that could be improved upon. - Spencer Ham, Senior Creative Director
Without giving too much away, seeing some classic TMP beats come to life in a new engine has been genuinely transformational. Another moment that stands out is the first time we got host audio in the game. This is my first TMP, and hearing [REDACTED]’s voice for the first time in that context was surreal. They’re simply an icon! - Alex Weick, Senior Producer
What can you share about the setting of Trivia Murder Party 3? What were the sources of inspiration for the summer camp theme that the game exists in?
TMP3 is set at an old abandoned summer camp that [REDACTED] attended as a teenager. Like its predecessors, this installment is also influenced by horror films, specifically the slasher camp genre.
Several folks on the team have attended a summer camp in their youth, so it’s been fun/mortifying to recall personal experiences into brainstorms. Will the game feature a talent show wherein [REDACTED] performs the cheerleader sketch from SNL (just like I did back in the day)? You’ll just have to wait and see! - Spencer Ham, Senior Creative Director
It seems the former administrators of the camp left behind some old cassette tapes… [REDACTED] might incorporate them into his macabre game show. - Brian Chard, Senior Audio Lead
What makes the team working on Trivia Murder Party 3 unique? Does the team have any traditions or new processes they are trying? What has been the best part about working with this specific group of people?
The team working on Trivia Murder Party 3 is really special because it brings together a mix of people who have deep experience with the series, others who are bringing in fresh ideas for the first time, and of course, [REDACTED], our resident expert in the craft of murder. There’s a real respect for what made the first two games so beloved, but also an excitement about pushing the format in new ways. There’s a lot of laughter in the room, a lot of “what if we tried this?” energy, and a real willingness to take risks together. - Sydney Hunt, Game Product Manager
What are some beloved things we can promise WILL return in this latest installment of Trivia Murder Party 3?
1. Trivia
2. Murder
3. Party? - tbd - Brian Chard, Senior Audio Lead
Will there be marshmallows?
Fielding this question during TMP1 and 2 development was weird, but now it’s not. Yes, there will be marshmallows. - Spencer Ham, Senior Creative Director
Our first marshmallow recording session is next week, I think. - Brian Chard, Senior Audio Lead
What’s your favorite camping memory?
Growing up, I spent a lot of time camping with my dad in Canada. Those trips were basically a crash course in all of his favorite things, but the most consistent part was the soundtrack. We’d sing along to Randy Travis and Johnny Cash on repeat while he played guitar and harmonica by the fire. During one of those campfire jams, I fell face-first into the flames. Luckily, his “dad reflexes” kicked in and he had me out before I even knew what happened but, needless to say, singing Ring of Fire hit a little different after that. - Sydney Hunt, Game Product Manager
During a family camping trip to Colorado, my sister and I entered a drawing contest organized by the camp rangers. The drawing my sister made of a “chipmunk” was so cursed that it became part of family lore. This 30-year-old drawing will still surface during the holidays. It’s truly legendary. - Spencer Ham, Senior Creative Director
While camping, we didn’t put our trash away as we should have. When I woke up the next morning, I heard a story from my parents about a curious bear who wandered in and started sniffing me from the other side of the tent. - Joe France, Senior Game Designer
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