Hunt A Killer and Morbid launch Salem Slicer mystery experience

Abigail’s father left behind materials that tie him to the Salem Slicer murders, and that is the kind of hook Hunt A Killer and Morbid are betting can pull podcast fans out of passive listening and into a case file they can actually work. The Salem Slicer, announced May 11, 2026, starts with killings in 1985, the death of suspect Linus Kennedy in 1988, and a newly discovered coded letter that suggests the killer may still be active.

That setup is doing more than selling a game. It is a clean business play built for the true-crime audience that already treats theories, timelines and evidence boards like a sport. Hunt A Killer and Morbid co-created the experience with Morbid hosts Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart, blending narrative storytelling, physical evidence and audio content into an interactive cold-case investigation. The result looks less like standard podcast merch and more like an extension of the show’s fandom, with players opening a locked box, handling a bloody scrunchie and a train passenger figurine, and listening to an exclusive mini-podcast episode woven into the gameplay.

The timing makes sense for both brands. Hunt A Killer was founded in 2016 by two childhood friends and started with a 200-acre live immersive event before it released its first murder-mystery-in-a-box product later that year. The company has spent the last decade proving there is a steady market for players who want to sort clues instead of just consume a story, and it joined the Relatable family in 2024. Morbid brings the reach: on podcast platforms, it is described as a true-crime, creepy-history and spooky show hosted by an autopsy technician and a hairstylist, updated semiweekly, with about 98,000 ratings on Apple Podcasts.

The rollout shows how carefully this crossover was built to convert attention into sales. The Salem Slicer was available for preorder exclusively at Walmart.com, with a Walmart retail launch planned for June 2026 and wider availability set for July 2026 at Target, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Hunt A Killer site. Relatable said the game would retail for about $29.99, while ICv2 reported it is designed for one or more players ages 17 and up.

That mix of price point, platform reach and built-in audio content is the bigger story. True-crime brands are no longer just feeding a listening habit; they are packaging it into at-home investigations that let fans step inside the case, compare theories and solve alongside the hosts.