The Solitaire Conspiracy

Released: Oct 6, 2020
Platforms
Last updated: 11 Sep 2026, 12:20 GMT

Updates & announcements

17 posts

08 Jul 2026Developer post
New Game Announcement - Vampirium: 1997
We've been working on our newest title this past year, and we're incredibly excited to be ready to announce our next game. Those of you signed up to our mailing list and reading The Last Portrait will have already had a sneak peek into the world we're building here. Everyone else
01 Dec 2025Developer post
New Bundle and Creator Keys - Bithell Games' Legacy Celebration
We need your help, Spymaster. This week's game in our legacy celebration is The Solitaire Conspiracy ! Protego, the world’s leading spy agency, has been destroyed. Only one person can wield C.A.R.D.S to take control of Protego’s scattered spy crews and save the world. You. The So
11 Jun 2021Developer post
Update 1.08 - The Atlantis Project!
Hello! Today we add our second post release crew! The Atlantis Project is a noble force of aquatic avengers, hydrated heroes and lubricated legends. They fight for the seas, and all who treat the water with respect. You'll get to unlock this new crew via their own FMV campaign, h
Hello!
Today we add our second post release crew! The Atlantis Project is a noble force of aquatic avengers, hydrated heroes and lubricated legends. They fight for the seas, and all who treat the water with respect.
You'll get to unlock this new crew via their own FMV campaign, hosted by the awesome Alanah Pearce. Via an intriguing story, you'll learn to use their powerful Submerge skill, and take it into daily challenges, countdown and skirmish modes.
We're incredibly excited to be bringing this new crew to the game, alongside its release on the Nintendo Switch. Thank you so much for your continued support, and for keeping those leaderboards populated. We couldn't have imagined how well this little game would connect, and we're so damned excited to have you here.
Bug Fixes

A couple of minor bug fixes and typos, but the game remains pretty darned stable.
New Features

Our second Recruitment campaign is in, with The Atlantis Project as a reward.
Daily challenges will now occasionally include The Atlantis Project, if you've unlocked them.
Have fun!
Cheers,
Mike
Original post
09 Feb 2021Developer post
Update 1.07 - TLC
Hello! It's time for our first update of 2021! The TLC update is all about the little things, tweaks and quality of life improvements designed to enhance your experience with the game, and address some of the feedback we've received, along with other imperfections we've spotted.
Hello!
It's time for our first update of 2021! The TLC update is all about the little things, tweaks and quality of life improvements designed to enhance your experience with the game, and address some of the feedback we've received, along with other imperfections we've spotted.
Here's a list of what's included:
Bug Fixes
The usual typo solutions (folks found a couple in The Merry!) and other small bugs.
Features

Korean language support. Welcome, Korean players!
Bloom can now be switched off in settings.
Tooltips can now be toggled off outside of campaign missions.
Skip button added to card dealing animations.
Optional 60fps targeted frame rate cap for folks playing on high end graphics cards.
Countdown timer and sound effects update for a little more drama at the end of a game.
FMV codec update to make emulator play on Linux a little easier (platform is still not officially supported).
Minimalist card mode available in settings for higher legibility.
Planned Features for Next Update
We're still finalizing the date, but this summer we'll be releasing the Atlantis Project, a new mini campaign with FMV and our tenth crew!
Cheers,
Mike
Original post
20 Jan 2021Developer post
Coming in 2021: Our roadmap for the first half of this year.
Hello! Happy new year all, we're excited to be back at work on this game, and welcome to everyone who jumped onboard during the holiday sale. Awesome to have you here. We're pleased to be bringing more things to the game, as it continues to weirdly outgrow its humble beginnings a
Hello!
Happy new year all, we're excited to be back at work on this game, and welcome to everyone who jumped onboard during the holiday sale. Awesome to have you here.
We're pleased to be bringing more things to the game, as it continues to weirdly outgrow its humble beginnings as a short game. This'll take the form of two major updates in the first half of this year. The first is a big push of quality of life features you've asked for, and we've wanted. The second is another new crew, The Atlantis Project. We're gonna keep the details of that team to ourselves for now, but we're excited to continue to grow the game with new cards and FMV.
So.. the roadmap!
February 9th - TLC Update
Just in time for Valentine's Day, this update addresses a bunch of things we've wanted to tweak in the game. We're still working on this, but some of the key new features are:

Korean language support
Tooltip opt out outside of campaign
Video codec tweaks to allow Linux play (via windows emulation)
... and a bunch more.
'Summer' 2021 - The Atlantis Project
This update will add a new crew, along with their own mini campaign. We were excited to see the positive response to The Merry and are excited to bring you more.
The date on this one is a little more hazy, as it's further off, but we'll lock that in nearer the time and let you all know.
Thanks for your continued support of the game! Happy to be getting more content in!
Original post
08 Dec 2020Developer post
Update 1.06 - Return of the Merry!
Hello! It's time to add our first post release crew! The Merry are joining the game today, with their recruitment missions already on your map (and playable in standard or plus mode). By completing their mini campaign, complete with its own bespoke FMV cutscenes, you'll unlock th
Hello!
It's time to add our first post release crew! The Merry are joining the game today, with their recruitment missions already on your map (and playable in standard or plus mode). By completing their mini campaign, complete with its own bespoke FMV cutscenes, you'll unlock them for dailies, countdown and skirmish. The Merry are returning characters in the Bithellverse (trademark definitely not pending), a modern update of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, first introduced in our 2015 game, Volume.
The Merry's power is one of redistribution, draining power from any crew they're placed on, and redistributing it at random, hopefully to cards more useful to your current situation. We think they'll add even more tactical depth to your play.
Hope you enjoy them and their story, definitely let us know if you run into any bugs or issues, and happy holidays! We're excited to share future plans in the new year... expect a new roadmap from us in late January.
Bug Fixes
More typo fixes, support for Big Sur (new Mac OS). Let us know if you run into anything new, and we'll get it solved.
New Features

Our first Recruitment campaign is in, with The Merry as a reward.
Daily challenges will now occasionally include The Merry.
Planned Features for Next Update
We're going to be taking our holiday breaks, but will fix any bugs as they're found. We'll return at the end of January with our next roadmap, but in the meantime, definitely let us know what you'd like to see more of.
Cheers,
Mike
Original post
19 Nov 2020Developer post
Update 1.05 - Global Spycraft!
Hello! OK! Here we go, our biggest update yet, and one that's essential to our more fiendish long term plans: We just rebuilt the game's main menu from the ground up. This new version charts your current place in the campaign, skirmish and countdown on a world map. This gives us
Hello!
OK! Here we go, our biggest update yet, and one that's essential to our more fiendish long term plans: We just rebuilt the game's main menu from the ground up. This new version charts your current place in the campaign, skirmish and countdown on a world map. This gives us more room for expansions to the game, and more content / modes.
The first of these modes are daily challenges. A locked layout skirmish style map is presented each day, with a leaderboard to compete with the world for the lowest number of turns. Daily hotspots will cycle at random, meaning you may have to fight to maintain your legacy placements. We wanted to add a competitive option for those who favour tactics over speed, and we're excited to see how folks get on with it.
Have fun, let us know how it goes, and if you're digging the game and our additions, be sure to leave us a Steam review heading into the holiday period. See you next month for our first new crew since launch.
Bug Fixes
We fixed some typos, and continue to solve bugs shared on our forums, so please do continue to let us know if you run into issues.
New Features

Complete menu redesign for map support.
Daily hotspots unlock when you have the crews required, providing competitive tactical play each day.
Planned Features for Next Update - Return of The Merry
(This drops December 8th)

A new mini campaign with its own FMV (we shot it yesterday!!) and music...
...Unlocking a new crew, The Merry, for use in Daily Hotspots, Skirmish and Countdown.
Cheers,
Mike
Original post
29 Oct 2020Developer post
Update 1.04 - Gallery mode!
Hello! So, our latest update is a much requested gallery mode, featuring all the characters you've unlocked so far. This mode removes visual effects and let's you enjoy Jen's awesome work in full screen glory. Hope you dig it! Bug Fixes More little things here and there, a couple
Hello!
So, our latest update is a much requested gallery mode, featuring all the characters you've unlocked so far. This mode removes visual effects and let's you enjoy Jen's awesome work in full screen glory. Hope you dig it!
Bug Fixes
More little things here and there, a couple typos and some button weirdness. The game remains pretty darned stable, so please do continue to let us know if you spot anything odd.
New Features

Gallery mode.
A slightly too busy main menu screen worthy of some tweaks in our next update...
Planned Features for Next Update - Global Spycraft
(This drops November 19th)

New global map screen to replace main menu and allow for expanded content.
Daily Tactical Engagements.
And finally, thanks to Cyberpunk 2077 moving its release to our planned release for The Return of The Merry major update, we're gonna pull that a little earlier to December 8th, so as to give it a little breathing room before Cyberpunk takes over the internet.
And finally, if you're having a good time with the game, please do leave a Steam review. Those numbers help the game continue to find an audience! You've all been fantastic with that so far.
Cheers,
Mike
Original post
23 Oct 2020Developer post
Coming in 2020: Our roadmap for November and December
Hello! So, we locked in our roadmap, and rather than waiting til next week (gallery and new refresh rate support going in Thursday) we decided to get the information out now. Interested to hear what you think. It's been a fantastic launch month for The Solitaire Conspiracy, with
15 Oct 2020Developer post
Update 1.03 - Campaign Plus adds some challenge
Hello! It's update time again, an update that jumped the queue and made it in before our planned one in a couple of weeks. As we mentioned in our last news post, we wanted to get a more challenging alternative to Campaign into the game ASAP, and here it is! Campaign Plus can be s
Hello!
It's update time again, an update that jumped the queue and made it in before our planned one in a couple of weeks. As we mentioned in our last news post, we wanted to get a more challenging alternative to Campaign into the game ASAP, and here it is!
Campaign Plus can be selected at the start of the Campaign, or toggled on and off at any time on the Campaign screen. Put simply; it turns every mission into a fixed puzzle. We've set up a par turn count per job, and locked a card layout. If you can't get a mission done in the turn limit we set, you'll fail and have to restart. This mode encourages power use and tests your skills, so is intended primarily for folks on their second play-through, or for whom the campaign feels too easy. We hope you'll dig it!
Bug Fixes
Some minor ones across the board, but nothing major to report. Please continue to let us know if you run into anything... odd.
New Features

Campaign Plus: Play puzzle variants of all campaign missions.
Full localization added for this and previous update's content.
Planned Features for Next Update
(I still need to take that break, so this should be dropping in a couple of weeks)

Artwork Gallery.
November Roadmap.
Original post
12 Oct 2020Developer post
Coming this Thursday: Campaign Plus
Hello! We're just under a week since launch, and what a week it's been. We're scrambling to support the growing audience that's jumped in, and to entice those players who've yet to give it a go. With that in mind, we wanted to directly address the biggest criticism of the game we
09 Oct 2020Developer post
Update 1.02 - Skirmish Enhancements and Big News
Hello! It's time for our next update, and this one's a bit more substantial... fixing a couple of quality of life issues, and fleshing out Skirmish Mode a little more. Full list below, but first... Folks, The Solitaire Conspiracy's shifting some units. It's our bestselling launch
Hello!
It's time for our next update, and this one's a bit more substantial... fixing a couple of quality of life issues, and fleshing out Skirmish Mode a little more. Full list below, but first...
Folks, The Solitaire Conspiracy's shifting some units. It's our bestselling launch yet. We've made a decision: We're gonna go to regular updates on this one. We're figuring out the roadmap, but you can expect a steady stream of content and tweaks for the game over the coming months, and communication from us on what's coming (and roughly when). We have a lot of ideas, but I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on what they'd like us to invest time in adding to the game. Let's call this first phase 'stage setting'.. fixing issues and making the core game the best it can be before we start adding new modes and/or crews.
Bug Fixes

Fixed a misleading XP notification in results screen, text now matches your actual XP earnings.
Improvements to double click feel for sending cards to target... also, right mouse button now duplicates that functionality, with zoom on middle click (and is re-mappable via settings).
(Please let us know if you encounter any new bugs with this build.)
New Features

Skirmish and Campaign screen now feature tooltips showing you which crew is which, and reminding you of their powers.
Skirmish screen also has a randomize button, for those who'd rather have the game figure out a weird deck for them.
Mouse button remapping in settings (apologies to international players, this is not yet localized).
Planned Features for next update
(I'm taking a much needed post release holiday, so expected last week of October.)

Artwork gallery.
Roadmap for upcoming month.
Original post
09 Oct 2020Eurogamer
The Solitaire Conspiracy doesn't understand what's fun about solitaire
Earlier this year, Bithell Games helped UK micro-indie Grey Alien Games publish Ancient Enemy , the latest in a series of what can only be called solitaire adventures by Jake Birkett. Mike Bithell - of Thomas Was Alone and John Wick Hex - must have enjoyed the experience, because
07 Oct 2020PCGamesN
John Wick: Hex creator's new game is cyberpunk Solitaire with FMV and Greg Miller
Over the course of his illustrious career, game designer Mike Bithell has made us care deeply for the plight of abstract shapes, captivated us with faceless robots, and let us plan out gun-kata scenes for the Baba Yaga himself. We heard rumours that his next game was going to be
07 Oct 2020Developer post
Update 1.01
Hi there, Our first patch is up! 1.01 adds a feature we saw a few people asking about.. zoom! Right click to zoom in, click again to zoom out. This should give you a better look at cards, and hopefully help those for whom small text is hard to read to enjoy the game's story a lit
06 Oct 2020Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Cards ‘n' spies thriller The Solitaire Conspiracy is out now
Let the cards fall as they may? Not if you have any say in the matter. Today sees the release of The Solitaire Conspiracy , the latest short from Thomas Was Alone and John Wick Hex devs Bithell Games, and you’re a tactical genius weilding the power of C.A.R.D.S to take down a meg
23 Sep 2020Rock, Paper, Shotgun
The Solitaire Conspiracy is Mike Bithell's new game about cards and spies
After making Thomas Was Alone and John Wick Hex , intense cyberpunk solitaire wasn’t exactly what I was expecting from Bithell Games. Yesterday, the studio announced The Solitaire Conspiracy , a new game in the developers’ experimental “Shorts” series, which previously brought us